>> you're watching "the wellness hour," the leader in medical news and information. i'm randy alvarez. today's topic, replacing missing teeth with dental implants. according to my first guest, no more dentures. and with us we have an expert on the topic. he is a prosthodontist -- dr. mark adams. dr. adams, welcome to the program. >> thanks for having me, randy. >> now, before we get into today's topic -- and i know you brought a lot of photos, and we'll get to as many as we can -- tell us a little bit about clearchoice. i guess you're kind of unique. you focus on just about one thing. so, who is the typical patient? >> we focus solely on dental implants, and our average patient is looking for help. they haven't seen a dentist in a very long time.

they're a dental refugee. they're outside of the regular care. they're not part of the public that sees a dentist on a regular basis. they truly are dental refugees. they suffer from all kinds of problems -- gum disease, caries, missing teeth, removable teeth -- and they're looking for an answer. they're looking for a solution. these people had their baby teeth, then they got their adult teeth, and their adult teeth have failed them. through the power of implants, we're able to give them a third set of teeth. >> is that right? a third set? >> we can predictably, reliably provide that, and we can do it, randy, in just one day. >> you say things like, "we transform people's lives in one day." you believe that? >> i sense your skepticism. i don't believe it. i know it. and there's a difference between believing and knowing. because i see it every day. i'm forced to talk about titanium screws in teeth and all the stuff that dentists have to talk about. that's not what i do, randy. what we do, through the power, reliability, and predictability

of dental implants, is we transform people's lives by unleashing human potential. think about it. the most simple thing that you can do is smile. and when that's taken away from you, when that's robbed, and you don't have that, it's devastating. when you give that smile back, you unleash human potential. >> good. now, at the top of the show, we said no more dentures. are you of the belief that nobody should be wearing a denture, a traditional denture? >> right now, we have the power to end dentures forever. we really do. now, that's not to say that there aren't people out there who have to have a denture for one reason or another. but i can tell you, through dental implants, we can eliminate dentures as a treatment option. >> so, this is the hottest trend in dentistry, replacing missing teeth thts is that right? >> it's hot because -- what's hot about it is the immediacy of it. we live in a society where

people want to pull up to the window at mcdonald's, they want their coke and they want their burger and they want it right now. implants have been around for a long time. why weren't they ever hot? because it took a long time. today -- and you're not gonna believe this either, but today i can do in one day -- one day -- what it used to take me 18 months to do. in one day. >> is that right. >> and that is the clearchoice difference. >> and help me understand this. >> sure. >> so, how it's normally done when you want to get a dental implant, you go to one place that does the surgery. >> correct. >> you go to another place, the dentist, that puts the teeth on top, maybe another place that does the imaging. you have this -- you do everything right there. is that correct? >> yes. so, here's the concept. instead of the patient having to run around to various practitioners, we bring the oral surgeon, we bring the prosthodontist, we bring that together with the imaging so we can take the i-cat image. and -- and what's lacking in a lot of areas, we bring the

master dental technician, the artist who actually builds these teeth -- >> to the lab right there, too? >> absolutely. so, we bring those four parts together -- technology, doctors, lab. it's a one stop for our patients. >> does it -- i mean, does it have to cost more to go to somebody that's a specialist like an oral surgeon, prosthodontist, all right there? >> it's important to lower the barriers to this care, because this care -- i mean, think about what we do, randy. we can replace missing teeth with a third set that looks, acts, and feels as close to natural teeth as you can get. it's a phenomenal story. >> but are there really a lot of people wearing dentures? >> [ laughs ] there's that skepticism again, right? i will tell you, there are literally tens of thousands of patients that are suffering from this disability -- >> missing teeth? >> missing teeth. and that's counting patients that have missing all of their teeth, or patients that are missing most of their teeth. literally tens of thousands. >> so, if it's so good, then why aren't all these millions of people that have dentures or are

missing a lot of teeth, why aren't they all doing it? why aren't they all getting dental implants? what's your take? >> a number of reasons. let's talk about that. first, understand, you've got great teeth. you've had great teeth your whole life. >> yes. >> these people have had problems with their teeth their entire life. imagine your life if you're talking about 20, 30, 40, 50 trips to the dentist. root canals, gum issues, cavities, missing teeth, removable partials. they just want off that merry-go-round of misery. that's what it is. a merry-go-round of misery. so, what do they do? they get their teeth removed. they have dentures. they are done seeing us. they don't have to see a dentist anymore. they don't want to come in anymore, right? so they're outside the system. no one ever sits down and says, "well, you know, there's more. there's another way. there's a third set of teeth that we could..." >> so, they don't want to see a dentist. >> sure. >> last thing they want to do. >> they're all done. and then, what's even worse, is they'll self-diagnose. they'll see an ad on tv -- maybe they'll watch your show -- and they'll go, "i probably

don't have enough bone to have that done." and as bad as that is, the other part is really worse. well, they'll say, "wow, implants. i probably have to have one for every tooth that i'm missing, so the cost of this is gonna be extraordinary. i could never do that." so they self-diagnose themselves right out of the solution in the first place. >> but isn't it true, if you've been wearing a denture for 30-plus years, you don't have enough bone to get this done? >> that's not true. we see patients every day that have been without teeth for 10, 20, 30 years or more. some of the solutions are more difficult to achieve, some are easier. >> they can eat and chew whatever? whatever they want, i mean? as far as eating and chewing once it's all done? >> they walk into a restaurant, and instead of picking and choosing, they can order anything they want on the menu. >> one of the things you say in your advertisements is they can walk in on the day of the procedure -- they could walk in without teeth and walk out with a fixed set of teeth that don't come in and out. >> that's correct. >> is that rare? >> is it rare -- >> or does it happen a lot? >> it happens every day. >> is that right?

>> every day. our patients are in our centers at 7:00 a.m. for surgery. they're walking out in early to late afternoon with a new set of teeth held in place by the implants. we do it every day. >> are they ever skeptical, the patients on these consults? like, "are you sure?" >> sure. i mean, look at -- that used to happen a lot more. it doesn't now. the word's out there. they've talked to friends. they've talked to relatives. it's not hard to find someone who's had this procedure done and see what it's done to transform their life and unleash their human potential. >> good for you. you like this. >> absolutely. absolutely. look, i've been practicing for 31 years as a dentist. if you come in and you've got a problem with a back tooth, and i put a filling in there for you, that's not very transformational, right? it's a service that i provide. you say thank you, and that's it. these patients, this changes their lives. to be a part of that -- i am humbled every day to be able to experience what these people experience. >> so, you brought photos.

what are we looking at? >> i did. here's brady. let me tell you about brady. >> oh, my goodness. >> the first thing you're going to look at is you're going to see his teeth. but i want you take a look at something else. look at his eyes. and let me tell you the story about brady. brady's a farmer, right? he's a dry-plains farmer, meaning he doesn't irrigate. so whatever the good lord sends, that's what he gets. he's been living from riches to ruin his whole life. if it rains, he's got riches. if it's drought, he's got ruin. >> all right. >> and he's had this hardscrabble existence out there, and he's done it his whole life. he's a third-generation dry-land farmer. one day, he's playing in the yard with his granddaughter, who he adores, and she says to him, "papa, what's wrong with your teeth? what's wrong with your mouth?" think about that. you granddaughter. it devastated him. >> he tells you this in the consult? >> he tells us this. he cries at the consult. he can't even bear to face his granddaughter anymore because

she looks at him and says, "what's wrong with your mouth?" brady also knew that his mom had dentures. he watched his mother struggle for over 30 years wearing dentures, to the point that, in her later years, she didn't even wear them at all. and he watched her walk around the house with that sunken-in look that people have when they don't have dentures. dentures were not a solution for brady. >> and, by the way, what i'm looking at here, is this -- i mean, this has got to be completely unusual to have teeth this bad. >> this is an everyday patient in one of our centers. >> is that right? >> we see the disenfranchised. we see the patient who's a dental refugee. they've tried it all. they've gone in for gum cleanings. they've gone in to have cavities filled. some have had great access. some have not had as good of access. but they've all struggled in some way to hang on to those adult teeth. they're looking for an answer. he saw our ads. now, i know you're gonna look at his teeth when i show you his "after." i know you're going to look at

his teeth. but i don't want you to look at his teeth. >> very nice. >> look at his eyes. >> yeah. >> look at his eyes. that's a person who's now alive. look at the "before." >> mm-hmm. >> that's a dead smile. that's a fellow who can't even -- oatmeal is about the toughest thing he can eat. look at the "after." this is a guy who can eat steak. >> and those don't come in and out? what i'm looking at right there? >> no. >> they look like real teeth. >> he brushes them, he flosses them just like you do. that's what people want. that's what people want. people -- the patients that i've worked with, they don't even want implants. they surely don't want teeth that snap in and out. they just want regular old teeth. "how do i get that?" well, we get that by using dental implants. because, you know, an implant, randy, is nothing more than an artificial root of the tooth. that's all it is. >> okay. >> you're missing the roots of your teeth that held your teeth in place, we're gonna give you roots back.

but you know what? we don't have to put in as many as you had. those teeth in his mouth are supported in each jaw by just four implants. >> so, four implants, a fixed, full arch of teeth. >> yep. screwed in. i can remove it. he can't. >> can he bite into, like, using his front teeth -- >> an apple. >> is that right? >> a steak. >> do they have to be a little careful when they're biting, like, a carrot or whatever? >> they walk into a restaurant, pick up a menu, and order anything they want. >> how old can you be to get this done? >> you know, we've had patients that were very young, 18, 19 years old, that had trauma, accidents, things like that. my oldest patient, 99 years old. >> 99? aren't they more likely, though, to fall out if you're 99? >> no. >> no? >> no. not at all. it's a fallacy. it's never too late to have a happy childhood. >> [ laughs ] >> never. >> so, they -- they can eat whatever they want. now, you have a stack of photos. >> i do. >> we're short on time. so, what else are we looking at? >> well, you know, i want you to take a look at this patient. look at those teeth. you can see the wear. you see how they're squared off. you see that she has missing teeth, right? >> mm-hmm. >> those teeth are diseased, all

right, because there is gum disease around those teeth. people don't understand the effect that bad teeth have on their overall health. once you remove those bad teeth, i will tell you, it happens all the time, patients come in and they say, "doc, you know, i had this procedure done six weeks ago. i don't know what happened, but i just feel better. i just feel better." and what's -- >> but if you have -- sorry to interrupt, but if you have bad gums, you could still get this done? >> absolutely. absolutely. by removing the teeth, you stop the gum disease. and if you have this done before the disease gets into the jawbone itself, there's plenty of bone to be able to do the procedure. and then you get a result like this. >> [ chuckles ] >> now, as a dentist, i can tell you what's really exciting. look at this patient. look at this patient. >> wow. >> if you look at her "before," look at the dark spaces in the back of her mouth. if you look at her "after," there are no more dark spaces. her smile completely fills her mouth. look at how the teeth follow her

lip. they have a nice gentle, feminine curve to them. the central incisors, the two front teeth, are dominant. that's a characteristic of a great natural smile. that's what a prosthodontist does. a prosthodontist is a specialist. he's the artist of the smile. these are the things we got to all the school to -- >> i mean, they look real. i don't think anybody would think -- and i'm not trying -- people need to know this is a real interview, and i don't think anybody would think that that looks phony, right? >> it has to pass the grocery-store test. >> what does she say? i mean, people like this, when they see themselves, they must be -- they're surprised? >> shocked, surprised, cry. these were people that were on the outside of dental care. they were the masters of the cover-up. they couldn't pass the grocery-store test. >> what is that? >> the grocery-store test is that woman, when you're checking out and you're right across from her and she looks at you, and she goes, "wow, you have great teeth." that's the grocery-store test. they can't look at you and go,

"wow, you have great implants." or "wow, it looks like you must have seen a dentist and had some work done." they just look at you and they go "wow." >> well, she looks like a different person. i don't think anybody would disagree with this. >> sure. >> she looks younger. >> and not everyone is the same. if you look at this gentleman... >> all right. >> all right? again, same thing. spaces between his teeth, broken-off teeth. now, if you look at his smile, it's not like hers. we custom build every smile to match every patient. he's a man. he needs a few things in his smile that's gonna be a little bit different. his lip moves different. he's got facial hair. these things are different. and that's the excitement for a prosthodontist, working with our patients, we get to custom build every smile to fit that patient's life. >> when this is all done and they're coming back for the follow-ups, right, they have their teeth. you say they act differently, they look differently. >> you don't recognize these people. and i'm not talking about how they look. you don't recognize them from a personality standpoint. when you unleash that human potential, they're confident.

i've seen people go out now and had the courage to start dating, change jobs, get married, start doing the normal things that we all take for granted. tm back? their teeth, their smile, their embarrassment. >> we're gonna take a quick break. we come back, more about the process and what they can expect. you're watching "the wellness hour." i'm randy alvarez. we'll be right back. >> i didn't realize how bad my smile was, with fillings and root canals. i had to do something. i looked at partial bridges. i looked at dentures. out of all the options, clearchoice was the only choice for me. >> at clearchoice, we bring hope to millions who suffer from missing or failing teeth with dental implants that look, feel, and function like strong, natural teeth. >> all the specialists, with all the technology they need, are in one spot. it makes delivering this 21st-century world-class dentistry very easy to do, and we do it in one day. >> i can laugh. people crack a joke, and i smile. it was a life-changing thing. >> call today to schedule your

free comprehensive consultation and i-cat 3-d imaging scan. we'll even talk financing options while you're here. >> they not only helped to rebuild my smile, but helped me to rebuild my self-confidence. they really set me free. i mean, look at this smile. >> at clearchoice, you're about to discover what you've been missing all these years. call clearchoice today. >> you're watching "the wellness hour." i'm randy alvarez. we're discussing replacing missing teeth with dental implants. according to my first guest, no more dentures. i've had dentists on this program. >> sure. >> and i know you like fixed sets of teeth. but they say, "randy, two implants snap in, snap out." and i asked you about that on the phone. >> sure. >> and you said, "i don't like that. i don't like snap in, snap out." why? >> [ sighs ] well, let me try to be a little politically correct here. lookit, i don't want to say anything against my colleagues, but i will tell you why i don't like it. >> okay. >> because my patients don't like it. there's a lot of maintenance that has to go along with those. snaps have to be replaced because snaps wear out.

what a lot of people don't understand is, when you just put the implants in the front part of the mouth, you continue to lose bone in the back. you know, as soon as you take the root of the tooth out of the bone, the bone says, "geez, we don't need to be here anymore." so the bone starts to dissolve away. well, if you just have implants in the front, the bone stays there, but you start to lose the bone in the back. so, after a year or two, that plate starts to rock, has to be realigned. so, there's realigns, re-fittings. >> interesting. >> my patients would come to me and say, "hey, is there a better way? can't i just have teeth that i don't have to take out, so i just brush them and floss them?" it's because of what my patients want that i haven't done any sort of a snap-in in almost 10 years now. >> okay, so, we have time for some more photos. >> sure. i mean, these are our average patients. these are patients that we see on a routine basis, that they come in every day. you look at that and you see all kinds of problems going on there. >> so, these type of teeth... >> sure. >> i don't know what's going on there, but that's got to be rare. i mean, i don't see it. you say it's common. >> you know why you don't see

it? they're the master of the cover-up. this is how they smile at you. >> all right. >> they go like this when they talk to you. they are masters at covering that up because they still have to function in the public. they're in the grocery store, they're in the library, you know, they're in the gas station, they're all around. but they live in the shadows, they live in the shadows. i had a patient one time, worked for the newspaper. she loved her job at the newspaper. you know what it was? >> what? >> delivering the paper at night. you know why she liked it? because it was at night. no one could see her. she told me that -- she described her life as being like the back page of the newspaper. no one looks at the back page of the newspaper, randy. and what she was hoping to accomplish, her vision, her future, was that if she had this procedure done, her life -- and this is heartbreaking, but her lifeou become front ge.the part of the paper u

interact with and you see. she wanted to come out of the shadows. these people are all around us, they're all around you. they're just masters of the cover-up. >> so, all of those teeth had to go? she was headed for dentures? >> she was headed for dentures. >> let's take a look at this. oh, my goodness. >> and now you look at a set of teeth that are custom-built to fit her face. look how they fill her mouth. look how they follow the lip. and every patient has input into color and shape of their teeth. so, we get to work with our subjects just like you would craft a photograph if you were a photographer. >> she looks, like, more sophisticated in the "after." >> let me ask you this, randy. let me ask you this. if you were hiring here... >> okay. >> ...and the "before" walked in, and then the "after" walked in, who would you hire? >> well, if one -- >> who would you say was the more confident, outgoing, the person who was, "wow, that really made an impression on me." >> well, if one person is

smiling and one person isn't, obviously the one that looks happier, well-adjusted. >> sure. >> in fact, as you mention that, it's funny, who would i hire, one almost looks more intelligent just because of her teeth. >> that's how we judge people. we judge people by their smile. it's one of the first things we look at, right, in that first three to five seconds when we meet someone. we're looking at their teeth. and if their teeth look good, our eye moves by it and we move on to something else. but if their teeth look bad, it's like -- have you ever had a conversation with someone that had bad teeth, and you can't stop staring at their teeth? you just can't let go of it because it's abnormal. it doesn't look normal. that's what these people suffer their whole life. imagine that disability. let me show you this next patient. >> all right. >> this is a patient i love. because a lot of these patients i've showed you are older patients, right? they've had a lifetime of wear. look at this patient. she's young. through a variety of bad things that have happened to her, she's lost all of her back teeth. she has an executive position.

she believes it's holding her back, because she won't even speak up in a meeting for fear of smiling... >> she's embarrassed of her smile. >> ...and showing that she has no back teeth. exactly. and you talk about lost human potential in such a young person. and in one day -- one day -- we can help her. >> wow. she looked like a kid, almost, in the "before." she looks like a woman now. >> unleashing human potential. >> you say that. you know, when you came on the show, at the very beginning of the program, you were saying things like that, and it just sounds like a big word. but, you know, after looking at these photos, you can see that it is a change. it's a major change. >> i don't believe it, randy. i know it, because i see it happen every day. it's extraordinary. we can reliably and predictably do it. we can do it in one day, and help these patients regain back their life. >> back to the denture wearers. i know a few denture wearers, right? >> uh-huh. >> and they never complain. they seem to be fine with their dentures. are you saying that most people don't like their dentures? >>andy, listen to yourself.

>> [>> you're not a why would they talk to you about their denture? >> all right, okay. >> if they wanted to do a tv show, they might talk to you about that. i'm a dentist. i get people talking to me about how much they hate their dentures all the time. all the time. the life of a denture wearer is not fun. they're always completely filling that thing with adhesive and making sure it's stuck in so that it won't move. they're always walking into a restaurant and have to really be selective over what they can eat. they have to be careful about not spontaneously laughing too loud for fear that their dentures might fall out or shoot across the room. it's a disability. >> good, good. i mean, we are rushed for time. >> i just have a couple more i'd like to share with you. >> two more photos. >> i mean, look at this patient, another young person. now, if -- >> oh, boy. >> "oh, boy." what do you mean by "oh, boy"? if that person walked in here... >> young to have those kind of teeth. >> very young. very young. you know, through an unfortunate set of circumstances, got on the merry-go-round of misery,

couldn't get off, and was finally facing dentures. do you know how crippling that is when you're that age, and you're a woman, especially, that you're going to have to wear a denture? and you watched your grandmother wear one, and you watched it disfigure her face? but in just one day -- i mean, look at that. she completely changed. it doesn't even look like the same woman. she changed her hairstyle -- >> pretty smile. >> look at her eyes. look at her eyes. the self-esteem that these patients now show, and the health -- we haven't really touched on the health, but these patients feel vigorous because they feel healthy. because this chronic infection, which they've been fighting for years and years and years, has been rid out of their body. it's extraordinary. >> and you do it all right there. >> we do it all right there. in one day. >> are they skeptical, by the way? 'cause a lot of people see, you know, some of the advertisements. but are they skeptical? >> no. no. i tell people, "listen, if you are skeptical, all's you have to do is come in. we're gonna show you around the center. you might even talk to some of

these patients in the halls. it's not just our story. this is a story about you, and how we can unleash your human potential." >> you have one more photo. >> i do. we don't talk about guys a lot because guys don't like to talk about their smile. here's a fellow who, his teeth were so loose, right -- his favorite thing in the world? barbecue on sundays. have the family over, barbecue it up. you know what? he couldn't eat the barbecue anymore because his teeth were so loose from gum disease. he knew he didn't want to wear dentures. he just -- that whole thought -- he was a gagger. putting anything into his mouth and fitting up into the roof of his mouth wasn't going to work. he was an excellent candidate. and now -- look at him at the barbecue on sundays now. he can bite into chicken, ribs. >> what about pain? we haven't talked about pain. it does seem painful. >> pain is a relative thing. first of all, when you have the procedure done, you're going to be sedated. so you're gonna be very comfortable. afterwards, i can tell you, i've had patients that took one pain pill the night of the procedure,

and maybe just took an advil the next day. swelling is the biggest area of concern people have. you're gonna look like a little bit of a chipmunk, like you had your third molars removed. we have you use ice. but the pain is very controllable. >> okay, good. now, we're out of time. so, final message to a patient that, of course, they haven't been to the dentist, maybe, like you said, 10 years, 15 years. they know they don't want a denture. and then, of course, to the denture wearer, that they've been in dentures maybe 10 or 30 years, and they're skeptical, maybe. >> sure. >> what do you say to them? >> we'll come in, we'll talk about a customized plan to help you achieve the smile of your dreams, because we want to help you to be able to unleash your human potential. >> it's a free consultation, right? >> it's a free consultation. >> so they might as well come in, right, and get a consultation? >> i don't care how hopeless you think it is, we can help. >> thanks for coming on the show. >> thank you for having me. >> great info. you've been watching "the wellness hour." i'm randy alvarez. for now, i wish you good health. >> thanks for watching "the wellness hour," the leader

in medical news, with your host, randy alvarez, the authority on health issues. >> i didn't realize how bad my smile was, with fillings and root canals. i had to do something. i looked at partial bridges. i looked at dentures. out of all the options, clearchoice was the only choice for me. >> at clearchoice, we bring hope to millions who suffer from missing or failing teeth with dental implants that look, feel, and function like strong, natural teeth. >> all the specialists, with all the technology they need, are in one spot. it makes delivering this 21st-century world-class dentistry very easy to do, and we do it in one day. >> i can laugh. people crack a joke, and i smile. it was a life-changing thing. >> call today to schedule your free comprehensive consultation and i-cat 3-d imaging scan. we'll even talk financing options while you're here. >> they not only helped to rebuild my smile, but helped me to rebuild my self-confidence. they really set me free. i mean, look at this smile. >> at clearchoice, you're about to discover what you've been

missing all these years. call clearchoice today. >> america is getting more and more beautiful every day. smiles are brighter, confidence is higher, outlooks on life are improving daily. why? because people are calling or dental implant centers. clearchoice is leading america's smile freedom movement. more people trust us for implants than any other brand. and it all starts with that first call or click. schedule today and your consultation will include a 3-d ct scan. it's time to put caps, crowns, bridges, dentures, and gum disease in your past and let your true self shine into the future. don't hide your smile another day. join the thousands who have set their smiles free. call or go online now.

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