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Leaders in Dental Education: Staying at the Forefront of our Profession

The past decade has seen tremendous advancements in technology and science in the dental profession. As a leader in the profession Dr. Braga strives to maintain his position at the forefront of these advancements. He accomplishes this by being a lifelong student, active in university academia, dental education and comprehensive multidisciplinary dental study clubs with colleagues.Dr. Braga is proud to have the opportunity to lead four study clubs in the dental community.

Periodontal, Implant & Restorative Study Club

Dr. Russo and Dr. Braga are Co-Leaders of the Periodontal, Implant & Restorative Study Club. For 20 years as the largest and most established multi-disciplinary study club in our region, we are dedicated to the advancement of team dental treatment planning and total patient management as the ultimate tool for achieving better comprehensive care for our patients.

Our members are made up of a select group of dentists from Beach Cites and the surrounding area who participate in hands-on demonstrations, problem solving, panel discussions and clinical treatment planning sessions as well as inviting internationally known speakers to share information at our local meetings.

Beach Cities Dental Hygiene Study Club

As technology and science continue to advance, Dental Hygienists play an even greater role in the overall health management of their patients. There is an abundance of evidence that supports a direct relationship between an individual’s oral health and general health. Correlations between plaque and poor oral hygiene with Gingivitis, Periodontitis, and now Peri-Implantitis are confirmations of the important role dental hygienists play in our dental community. The need for hygienists to focus on continuing education is essential. Our Dental Hygiene Study Club was created to provide a vibrant learning environment that will further the careers of its members and advance the future of dental hygiene. This will ultimately result in helping us serve our patients better. In addition to providing an interactive way for members to learn, our meetings also allow members to meet fellow Dental Hygienists in the area, exchange ideas, review new products and discuss upcoming advances in their profession. The Beach Cities Dental Hygiene Study Club commenced in February 2016. We were very happy with the interest shown in the club, with approximately 50 hygienists from the community attending. Dr. Braga spoke at our first meeting, titled “Back to Basics” with an emphasis on the examination and diagnosis of periodontal disease. Our goal is to meet two to three times per year. Meetings are complementary and include Continuing Education Units and a meal. If you are a Dental Hygienist interested in becoming a part of our Dental Hygiene Study Club and would like to be on our invitation list, please contact us at 714-842-2515 or via email at Andrea@implantsandgums.com.

Why join Dr. Braga’s Spear Small Group Study Club?

By joining a Spear Small Group Study Club, you are dedicating yourself to the development of a higher level of clinical, diagnostic, treatment planning and value creation skills. You will work side-by-side with a small group of dentists and Dr. Braga & Dr. Duncan (the study club leaders), treatment planning eight interdisciplinary case studies throughout the year. By pooling knowledge and resources, the entire group’s skills, competency and confidence will soar. To view Spear online resources, please visit the Spear Online Digital Library. The clinical curriculum is based on case studies recorded on DVD’s by prosthodontists: Dr. Frank Spear, Dr. Greg Kinzer, Dr. Bob Winter and other leading clinicians. It’s like having the experts at our study club in person.

Small Group Multidisciplinary Study Club

Dr. Russo founded the first Spears Study Club in our community. The Group has since evolved into an intimate setting in which both specialists and general dentists present complicated and challenging cases for roundtable discussion and comprehensive treatment planning.

Treatment for Dental Implant Complications

Dr’s Russo & Braga will sometimes see new patients who received Implants in the past and are now having problems with them. Although the vast majority of implant placements are successful, a very small percentage of them develop complications that need special treatment or replacement with a new implant.

Experienced Dental Implant care specialist

Dr’s Russo and Braga are very experienced at addressing implant complications and use advanced technology to restore the stability and health of implants that can be treated and saved. Drs. Russo and Braga are both Specialists in Periodontics and Dental Implants, having completed an additional 3 year full Time Specialty Training in Dental Surgery following their Dental School.

As leaders in their profession both Dr. Russo and Dr. Braga strive to maintain their position at the forefront of these advancements. They accomplish this by being active in university academia, dental education and comprehensive multidisciplinary dental study clubs with their colleagues.

Sources of Dental Implant Complications

Unfortunately in today’s Dentistry one of the most common scenarios we see for failing or failed implants is due to poor quality dentistry. This may be the result of a number of reasons including:

–Poorly or inadequately trained dentists performing surgery beyond their education/training.

–“Discount” implant offices & “travelingimplantologists” using cheaper/lower quality materials.

–Implant Surgeons cutting costs by “cutting corners” and not accurately treating the patient with surgical guides, 3-D scans and necessary grafting to properly house the implant in the correct and healthy location.

Although initially cutting corners may save on cost, in the long run it often leads to far more expensive procedures to correct the problems or replace the implants.

There is much a consumer must know before selecting the right dentist to perform their dental implant surgery. Always remember that you’re not just purchasing an implant, but the training of the surgeon and the expertise to properly place them.

Implant complications are rare. However, when they do

happen, the main sources of difficulties are as follows:

Failure to integrate

An implant can be set in the wrong position or placed where there is inadequate bone support. Sometimes the implant is placed properly but the bone surrounding it fails to integrate with the implant. This leads to implant instability and it can become loose. It is also more susceptible to infection when placement or bone integration is flawed.

Infection

An infected dental implant will often be surrounded by redness, swelling, or a bad taste. Most infection takes the form of a special type of gum disease known as peri-implantitis. Peri-implantitis is characterized by infection of the gums with bone loss around the implant. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including but not limited to:


Thorough examination, diagnosis and determination of treatment

Dr’s. Russo & Braga will perform a thorough exam to determine the best treatment for implant complications.–Periodontal Charting, an X-ray, and in some cases a 3-D Scan will be needed for proper diagnosis and treatment to accurately determine the level of bone support and if any bone loss has occurred.

If the examination shows the implant complication is treatable and the implant can be saved, Dr’s. Russo & Braga will diagnose the problem and discuss your treatment options with you. This may include treating the implant with periodontal surgery and grafting to regenerate the lost bone and gingiva from the infection.

If the implant is too compromised to be saved, it may have to removed, the surgical defect corrected, and the implant subsequently replaced. In this case, we will thoroughly describe the treatment needed for a new implant and will answer any of your questions.

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