Dr. Keith Levesque on dental implants
Posted by Patricia Conard
on Mar 21, 2016
On March 21st, Dr. Keith Levesque, addressed the Rotary Club of Nashua regarding dental implants. Keith attended Nashua schools and graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1998 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for W L Gore where he designed implantable medical devices and worked on MRI design. In 2005, he decided to become a dentist and in 2011 he graduated from Harvard School of Dental Medicine and joined Levesque Family Dentistry.
Dental implants are medical devices which are put in place of missing or extracted teeth. Replacing missing teeth is done not only for aesthetic reasons but also because missing teeth can cause problems such as bone loss, bite collapse, and/or tooth eruption/shifting.
Before dental implants existed, alternatives to replacing missing teeth included bridges, removable partial dentures, and removable complete dentures. All of these are less desirable because all involve using other teeth and they do not have the same “feel” as your real teeth. Dental implants provide a single tooth fix and are the closest thing to the feel of real teeth.
Another advantage of dental implants is durability (made of titanium and ceramic they will not decay). Most of the time implants are good for life so you never have to worry about treatment on that tooth again. Insurance companies are finally starting to see the long-term value of dental implants.
The disadvantage of dental implants is that is can be somewhat of a lengthy process because extra work may need to be done to prepare the bone and implant site. This process may take 3-6 months for work and healing. Another disadvantage is the $4000-$5000 cost associated with getting the implants. However, dental implants are very cost effective over the long run since the dental implant will never require additional work.
For more than 80 years over three generations, Levesque Family Dentistry has been providing dental care in the Nashua area. They offer comprehensive dental care, including cosmetic, restorative and implant dentistry using the latest advances in dental techniques and technology.