Hi, I am hoping you can help me. I have recently had a dental implant placed. The dentist perforated the sinus cavity. He said it is fairly common for that to happen and that it only went through a few millimeters. He removed it about six months later because the bone never integrated. He said because there was no bone that I did not need antibiotics after that. He put me on a Flonase and told me not to blow my nose. He also warned that if I need to sneeze to do it with my mouth open. He did not treat the perforation because he said that my perforation would heal on its own. Once the area healed up, he said I could try again with another dental implant. However, a few weeks later my nose became infected. I had to convince him to give me an antibiotic. My question is, would the area have gotten infected if he had prescribed me with antibiotics after he removed the implant?
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn,
I am sorry you had to go through all of that and still do not have your dental implant! It is not a bad thing that your dentist did not start with antibiotics when he first removed your dental implant, especially if there is not any sign of infection. You don’t want to start with antibiotics if they are unnecessary. This is because if they did become necessary they would no longer work and you’d need something much stronger. This can lead to antibiotic resistance.
I have some other concerns that I think need to be addressed before you consider having your dental implants done by this dentist. First, is the perforation. While it is true that the sinus cavity does occasionally get perforated, a few millimeters is actually a HUGE amount in dental procedures. We are used to dealing in exiguous amounts. I would like to know what type of pre-diagnostics he did. I doubt it included a CT scan. This would have given him a three-dimensional glimpse at the area and could have prevented the perforation altogether.
A second big issue I have is the lack of osseointegration. This is another huge thing. Does he know why?
My suggestion is you get some answers for these questions before you let him near you again. This is a procedure that requires advanced post=doctoral training. If your dentist is just going by what he learned in dental school, he is not going to be the best dentist for you. I suggest you look for another one.
You will need some bone grafting done in order to have this redone. I’m a big believer in making lemonade out of lemons. While you are waiting on this healing time, it could be a good opportunity to have some teeth whitening done. This way, when you do get your new dental implant, you can match it to your new brighter smile.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.
