Wiregrass Seniors Magazine May 2018 MAY ISSUE | Page 9

WiregrassSeniorsMagazine.com
Hello Readers,
Page 9
Ask Dr. Gaunt “Your Hometown Dentist”
Memorial Day is nearing! This day is important to us so that we may pause from our daily grind and remember the
brave men and women who gave their lives in defense of our values, our national interests and the well-being of our
allies around the world. A couple years ago we as a family were in Washington D.C. on Memorial day to witness some
of the traditions in the city, including some at Arlington National Cemetery. Many veteran soldiers were there to pay
annual tribute to the colleagues they fought shoulder to shoulder with, while widows were there to honor their fallen
hero spouses.
With the three day Memorial Day weekend, we traditionally call it the start of the Summer while the actual first day of
Summer is June 21st this year. Whatever your traditions of the weekend are, pause a moment to appreciate the men
and women who fought and died for our country.
Over the past few months, we've talked about NON-traditional dental therapies we use today compared to what has
been historically considered state-of-the-art treatment. Just today, I saw two patients who need to replace missing
teeth. One of them has only one missing molar, and she just figured I would schedule her for a bridge appointment. That
would involve reducing the size of two neighboring teeth in order to put a crown on each tooth that holds an additional
middle tooth to fill the space between these teeth. She really wasn't looking forward to having two near-flawless teeth
altered to replace one.
Here's where the non-traditional implant comes in. The dental implant is becoming very popular, and is rightly becom-
ing the new ideal treatment for replacing teeth. An implant is a titanium cylinder that is embedded in the jawbone right
where the previous tooth root was. It is just the right size to replace a tooth root, it is strong enough to withstand the
strength of the bite, and can be restored with a crown to replace the missing tooth for that worried patient of mine
today. When the treatment is completed, she will see an individual tooth that closely matches the neighboring teeth, and
she'll be able to floss it individually as if it is her natural tooth!
Have a great May and see you next month!
To your Health and Happiness, Geoff Gaunt, DMD
dothancosmeticdentistry.com
334-673-7440