>> 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, and according to my first guest, he says no more dentures, that nobody should be wearing traditional dentures. with us, we have an expert on the topic. we've had him on the program before. he is a board-certified prosthodontist -- dr. daniel galindo. dr. galindo, welcome back to the

here. thanks. >> now, we had you on the program before. what's changed? >> more people seeking treatment with dental implants. they've heard of the benefits that they provide and how it can change their lives. >> now, you brought a lot of photos, and these are pretty dramatic. do those represent what you see all the time? >> yeah, i mean, this is a good sample of what we see every time at our center. people that are losing their teeth, people that have already lost their teeth that are using dentures, and they're struggling in life. activities like sitting down and talking with somebody or sharing a meal or a nice conversation. so, yeah, this is a good sample of what we're gonna be talking about today. >> okay, good, we'll get to those. now, for people that don't know clearchoice, who's the typical patient and what are the different services you offer? >> well, our typical patient is people that have been dealing with constant dental problems -- periodontal disease, decay,

frustrated with their current situation. others have been using dentures for some time and have not been successful with using the dentures, and they're looking for an alternative to their current situation. >> are there a lot of people in arizona with dentures? >> we can fit the university of phoenix stadium with people that have dentures. >> it's that common? >> it is very common, and we can fit it tens, hundreds of times with people that are going into dentures based on the current dental situation that they have. >> so, you don't like dentures. i mean, we said at the top of the show that you said nobody should be wearing a traditional denture. >> that's true. listen, george washington used to ride a horse to work, and he used to use dentures. i don't know of many people that ride horses to work anymore. i don't know why we should still have dentures. there's so many other

dental implants that provide teeth for people that are their third dentition -- teeth that do not come out of their mouth. >> you say it's their third set of teeth? >> correct. it's like getting a third set of teeth. you had your baby teeth, you had your permanent teeth. there were reasons for you to lose your permanent teeth -- periodontal disease, decay, trauma -- and now you can get a third set of teeth that are permanently connected in your mouth. they don't come out, and you use teeth. >> now, we talked in the green room, and one of the things you said is that people come into your center with no teeth, and on the day of their procedure, they can walk out with a full arch of teeth that don't come in and out. is that rare? >> we do it at least twice a day in our center. people that have no teeth, people that have a failing set of teeth, and by the time they're going home in the afternoon, they have a brand-new set of teeth, a brand-new

it at your center. in most centers, i guess you go to the one person that does -- the oral surgeon that does the implants, and then the other person that puts a tooth on top. right? maybe an imaging center somewhere else. at your center -- just want to make sure i got this right -- you do it all right there. you have the specialist, the oral surgeon, the prosthodontist, which is you -- >> correct. >> ...that do it all right there. >> yes. >> aside from convenience, why is that better? >> well, you know, patients don't like to feel like ping pongs, where they're moving from one place to another, because people at each place. by having the oral surgeon, the prosthodontist, the laboratory technicians, and the imaging center in one place, they become acquainted with the group of people that are going to help them get to their end result. so, it's a completely different modality of treatment for patients, and they just like coming to one place. so, on top of that, by being able to have the oral surgeon and the prosthodontist in one

realtime on what's happening at the time of the procedure for the patient. this minimizes the number of procedures, this minimizes the number of visits, and eventually, the patient will benefit from the result in a faster period of time. >> and people like that, right, the one day, 'cause nobody likes going to the dentist, do they? do you hear that, by the way? like, no offense, doctor? >> yeah, no offense. it's not -- i don't enjoy hearing it, but i hear it, and i you know, you're going to a place to have something taken care of. you know, you'd rather not have that and you'd rather avoid it, but, you know, we're here, we can help you, we can turn your life around in a day. >> we talked in the green room about the denture wearer, and today i wanted to talk to you. that's why we invited you a second time. that you said in can be challenging getting those denture wearers back in because they've adapted. elaborate on that. >> so, when a person gets a

they don't realize of the number of changes that are happening underneath that denture as time goes by. >> like what? >> the bone shrinks, the gums shrink, the denture becomes loose, they need to increase the amount of adhesive that is put into the denture, and all this is to try to compensate for what's happening in their bones, in their gums. so, they start struggling with bein life because the teeth are loose, because food is getting caught under the dentures, or just because of the hassle of using the dentures. one of our patients came once and said -- she was trying to explain why she disliked dentures so much, and i wanted to pay a lot of attention to try to understand her point, and she said, "it's a major production to be able to put the amount of

into this loose denture, get it into my mouth, make it hold, and then a couple hours later, i need to do it all over again. and then at the end of the day, i need to make sure i clean the denture and i clean my gums out of this sticky product that i need to use, otherwise my teeth are not going to hold in place." >> now, you said that some people, i guess when nobody's around, they're at home, they take out their denture, put it on the table or in their top pocket or whatever. >> yeah, they're uncomfortable, so people -- i mean, they're kind of like the teeth to be seen with, but they're not the teeth that they enjoy using. they're not the teeth that they want to use for enjoying a meal or for, you know, having this wonderful banquet. it's just something to have so that people can see that they have teeth, that they haven't lost their stigma. >> so, people that are watching

a denture, right? so, they go in, you know, get evaluated, they come back, they get the procedure done, and in one day, they have full arch of teeth. how soon can they eat? >> the same day. >> really? >> yeah, they can go home and eat the same day. we're gonna tell them what type of foods they can eat, but they can enjoy a very good meal with their brand-new sets of teeth. so, i had this one lady that two days after her procedure called the office to make sure that we had told -- that what we had things that she could eat. she still could not believe it. >> they're afraid. >> they're afraid. she hadn't been able to enjoy that type of food for many years, and all of a sudden, after a day of a procedure, she could, and she wasn't sure she could do it. >> now, you're the prosthodontist in the process. you're the person that designs the smile, the teeth. you're the person that shows them their teeth for the first time. you say it's very emotional for a lot of these people. when they see it for the first time, their new teeth.

person, the patient receives a mirror, and all of a sudden, they realize that this is the first day of the rest of their lives. and i will hear it very, very often, "why didn't i do this before?" you know, they don't know what to expect, but once they see the result, it's life changing. so, at the time of receiving the mirror to see themselves, family me c will come in, will all look at the teeth together, and you start seeing some tears. and it's a very emotional moment. there's tears of joy, there's tears of excitement because it's finally realizing that this is the first day of the rest of their lives, and a couple days later, they'll come back for their post-ops, and the one thing that i hear very commonly is, "i don't know why i didn't do this before."

you know? some people are afraid, some people didn't know of it. they just became aware of the procedure. but certainly it's life changing. >> but isn't it true, though, that if you've been wearing a denture let's say 25 years, 30 years, you don't have enough bone to do the procedure? >> it's not true. you know, patients that have been using dentures have been told by somebody, probably a previous dentist, that they don't have enough bone. what we have is we have a c.a.t. scan device that allows us to look at the bone that the patient has and benefit from that image in order to realize which are the ideal areas to place implants. most of the time, we can fulfill the patient's need and place the implants that are needed with the bone that we have and avoid the dreaded bone grafting procedures that everybody wants to avoid. >> so, if dental implants are so good -- you said that there's, you know, you could fill the stadium several times, you said

denture. well, if dental implants are so good, why aren't they all doing it? why aren't the denture wearers lining up to do this? >> that's a very good question. >> what's your take? >> well, because once somebody gets a denture, they think they're done. they don't come back, they don't visit the dentist anymore. they -- >> so, they don't know their options? >> they don't know their options. they are checked out. and it's only until they have a major problem with that denture -- the denture fractures, the denture gets lost -- that they come back and they start learning about the possibilities that are available to replace common dentures with dental implants. the other reason why patients don't come in is that they ended up in dentures because of a painful experience. either periodontal disease, tooth loss, decay, something traumatic led to the loss of their teeth. they've got the denture now and they don't want to relive the previous experience. >> they don't want to come back.

seclusion and ignoring that there might be something else for them that could change their lives. >> now, what about pain? 'cause it does seem painful, and i know we have to probably put disclaimers all over the place. but you sedate them during the procedure. >> yes. >> that right? >> correct, yeah. >> and what are some examples afterwards? like, what can they expect if everything works out well? >> you know, everybody has a pain medication prescription. and when pat see me at the post-op, they will tell me, "this was not as painful as i thought it would be." there's some exceptions. >> yeah. >> pain is an individual response. >> are there those people that say, "this was easy"? >> yeah, yeah. there are people that will come back and tell us, "this was easy. let me know who is in fear so that i can tell them this is not as difficult as you might

and when they're all healed up, they can eat anything, you say? >> they can eat anything. >> nuts? >> they can eat nuts. absolutely. they can eat nut -- they can eat nuts, they can eat popcorn, they can enjoy a nice steak if they choose to. they can go back to a regular diet. they can go back to a diet that is a healthy diet, a diet where they can enjoy the foods rich in fiber, foods that a typical denture wearer just cannot have power to be able to eat them. the denture doesn't allow them to eat these foods. it's very common to see the denture wearers in the ice cream aisle because that is the most comfortable food to eat. >> interesting. >> it's not the most desirable, but it's the most comfortable food to eat. >> now, i know a couple of denture wearers, and, you know, i say this respectfully, but they never -- they never complain. >> they're not gonna complain to you because they want to keep

>> they'll let the dentist know, and, you know, once we start talking, we realize that, you know, when they go out to restaurants, they explain, "i have to be very selective about what i order from the menu. it's got to be certain type of foods that i'm able to eat with my dentures and not have to stand up in the middle of the meal to reposition or to clean or whatnot." the dating with dentures is a challenge. >> oh, that's a good point. that to themselves, but at a certain point, it's something that needs to be shared, and it shares the stigma and the embarrassment of having a denture or having teeth that need to come out at some point, or perhaps they never come out, which is not ideal with dentures. >> and you say that there are even married people that have confided in you that their spouse doesn't even know they're wearing dentures. how could that be? >> i mean, this is one of the most surprising things that i have faced.

have never shared with their spouses that they have dentures because it's very embarrassing, and either they go into the bathroom and they lock the door and the spouse is not allowed to go in until the door is open again, or -- >> they tell you any stories? >> they share these stories. and we know of it because we have to respect the patient's desire and make sure that the spouse is not close by when we're doing the procedure in the office. >> you don't like the ap snap out, which is also a trend. snap-in, snap-out dentures hooked on to dental implants. sounds like a good idea. you don't like it. >> i don't like them because of many reasons. first of all, they are still teeth that you need to wear, so you still need to remember to put the teeth in your mouth to be able to have them. they're not teeth that you use. they're teeth that you wear. second, there's a lot of maintenance with a snap-on denture. there's components that wear

need to be replaced periodically. so, it increases the maintenance cost for the patients. they can break and they need to be replaced, and then eventually if somebody wants to move on from a snap-on denture to a permanent set of teeth, most of the time we can't even use the same parts because they're not meant to be used for such a procedure. >> so, the snap in, snap out, it's hard to move them up to a fixed set of teeth? >> it's very difficult. at times, you can, but it's very difficult to do it because the purpose of each implant was different. one was to hold the teeth in place, hold the dentures in place, and the permanent set of teeth are held in a different way. so, randy, with the snap-on dentures, the issue is that it is still a denture. it still needs to come in, it still needs to come out. it's not a permanent set of teeth.

same denture-type situation. yes, it holds a bit better, but it's still a denture, and that's what people want to avoid. they want to avoid teeth that come out. they want permanent teeth in their mouth. >> we're gonna take a quick break. we come back, i know you brought a stack of photos, and they're dramatic. i peeked at them. >> yeah. >> and for those of you just tuning in, we're here with dr. galindo, and we're talking about no more dentures. we'll be right back. >> announcer: there's a way to get a life-changing smile that's designed to keep you comfortable the clearchoice way. >> big fear of the dentist. never liked to go. always made excuses. it was a nightmare. i started looking for alternatives. >> we create a wonderful environment for patients to just totally relax from the front desk to the surgical suite. we just want them to have a wonderful experience. >> announcer: if the phrase "dental implants" leaves you a little uneasy, you're not alone. at clearchoice, pain management is part of the treatment, so you can rest assured we'll do our

discomfort that you experience. it starts with i.v. sedation. we're able to place the implants and put in teeth the same day. it's just a wonderful thing that we're able to do here. we're able to actually transform lives. >> announcer: not just another dental procedure. this is a true life changer the clearchoice way. call today to schedule your free consultation. >> you're watching "the wellness hour," the leader in medical news and information. i'm randy alvarez. missing teeth with dental implants, specifically what can be done for people that are wearing a loose-fitting denture. with us, we have board-certified prosthodontist dr. galindo. okay, so you brought some photos, and you say it is that you're transforming lives. >> that's what we're doing. >> you believe that? >> i believe it. we do it at least twice a day every day. we're transforming people's lives, and this is a good example.

and was using a partial denture, and the partial denture was loose. she wanted to start dating again, but she didn't feel comfortable. she didn't feel that the partial denture was offering her the confidence that she needed to be able to go out and start dating again. so, when you look at her photo, first of all, you see somebody that is heading towards dentures. she is a vibrant woman that feels very insecure because she has lost teeth, and she doesn't want to be judged by the fact that she has lost some of her teeth. things have happened, and this is where she is right now. so, what we did is we replaced her teeth with a permanent set of teeth, and now she is a completely different person. >> very nice. are those veneer? i mean, they look like veneers. >> they look like veneers, but these are implant bridges on both the upper and the lower

photograph. so, look at the before and look at the after full-face smile. you can see first of all the corners of her mouth are full. she has a full smile that supports her lips and her tissues. now look at the before eyes and look at the after eyes. her eyes are wider. there's a completely different expression to herself. this was life changing for her. >> do you think it's because she'ie 'cause you can see the difference in the whole face, actually. >> she's happier, she's more confident, she feels secure, and this is what we have done with her treatment. we have restored her dignity. she can now go about life without worrying about teeth coming out when enjoying a meal, when having a conversation, when meeting somebody. >> so, they're back, as you say, in the system. so, like, every six months, they get a cleaning or whatever?

gets a cleaning. that's all she needs to do. it's incredible. it's, again, we transformed her life. and this is what she reminds us of when she comes for her cleaning appointments. so, here's another example, randy. when you look at this photograph and you think that this is an old person. >> yeah, older person. >> yeah, somebody that has struggled for a number of years with her dental situation -- she doesn't have a full smile. so, what you don't know from that photograph is that she is her periodontal disease has progressed, her gums are bleeding, and she is going to lose her teeth. if you look at her smile, it's a guarded smile. she's trying to hide something. she's trying to hide the gaps that she has between her teeth where the gums have receded. and she had two choices. she could either get dentures or she could get a permanent set of teeth with implants. and when she visited us, we discussed these options, and she

and then you look at her end result, and this is a completely different person. she can smile without having -- >> that's a beautiful smile, by the way. >> it's a beautiful smile. >> i'm not trying to side with you, but this is a nice -- >> it's a natural smile. it's not a guarded smile. there's nothing for her to hide anymore. she can just be herself. >> that's a young woman. i mean, she would've had dentures possibly if she didn't meet you. or found you. >> she could have, yeah. yeah, that was one of her be living with dentures and go through the aging process with dentures. this is another example. this is an example of an older gentleman that was already missing several of his teeth. >> that's got to be unusual. >> it is not that unusual, randy. the problem is that you encounter somebody that's dealing with that situation out on the street, and the first thing that you're gonna think

guy because he wants to hide what's happening behind his lips. he's been living with it for a long time, and he's learned to keep it to himself. so, it's not that uncommon. >> so, he had to have dentures. i mean, this guy's teeth had to go? >> they had to go. >> that's very nice. >> look at the difference between the before photograph and the after photograph. and the problem with him is that he knew he needed to do waiting and waiting and waiting. >> guys are like that, right? >> guys are like that. >> so, he can't eat, or we're in so much pain we finally see you. >> you want to tough it out and you want to be the strong guy and, you know, you just want to show off with your spouse that you can tough it up, but you get to a point where you have to do something. and here's a very interesting fact. when we meet the guys, when they

concern is, you know, "it hurts when i chew into something because the denture is rubbing against the gums." there's very few times that i hear, "i want to see my teeth look nicer. i want to have a better smile." but once they see that smile, it all becomes all about the smile. you know, they are loving it. they haven't realized that they were missing that, but once they get it back, it just has changed them forever. >> you like this. i mean, you get ex this story. >> it's very exciting, randy. it is very exciting. you know, with my experience at clearchoice, i have been hugged so many times because people are grateful, because we took them out of that hidden place where they were, and they're back out in the world sharing their experiences with other people, socializing, meeting people, being able to share dinner with somebody. >> so, their charisma's back.

themselves, you say. >> they feel completely better about themselves. >> great stuff. we're just about out of time. >> randy, just a couple more cases. just a couple more photographs. >> two more. >> yeah, two more. this is a great case. >> about a minute left. >> this is a gentleman that was already using dentures, and his main frustration was that as a motorcycle rider, he had lost so many dentures because he was on his bike with his wife behind him, he would open his mouth, the denture would fly out of his mouth. so, dentalmp in one afternoon, he went from having no teeth to getting that beautiful set of permanent teeth. he can ride his motorcycle. the only concern he has now is keeping the bugs off his teeth. and what you can see from that photograph is that he still doesn't know how to smile. but he came back for his post-op appointments and he's had a few cleanings, and now he's got this big, wide smile, and he feels totally comfortable with

>> so, this is a gentleman that -- he's a veteran, and he had been using dentures for over 40 years. he had already been told that he could not get dental implants, so he came to our center, saw us at clearchoice. we took the c.a.t. scan, we looked at his bone. we told him, "you're a great candidate." and so he was able to get implants to replace his missing teeth... >> oh, my goodness. >> ...on both the upper and the lower jaw, and now look at him smile. >> i mean, you do these consults. do you evet like, they tell you their hard-luck story. do you ever go, "oh, this is gonna be good"? or even better than they think it's going to be? >> i get so excited because i can already know where we're heading, and i can already tell how their lives are gonna be changed. and it's very rewarding to be able to do this every day. >> we're out of time. okay, final message. somebody wearing a denture, but they're worried about pain, they're worried that they're too old, or whatever their excuse

them? >> come see us. we'll present you with a treatment solution that's going to help you get rid of those dentures. >> we're gonna take good care of you, and you're gonna start enjoying the rest of your life with your third set of teeth. >> i want to thank you for coming on the show. very good. always good. thanks for coming back. >> thanks for the invitation, randy. >> you've been watching "the wellness hour." i'm randy alvarez. for now, i wish you good health. >> announcer: thanks for watching "the wellness hour," the leader in medical news with your host, randy alvarez, the

there's a way for a life-changing smile to fit your budget. the clearchoice way. >> meeting people is my life. i had to be careful how wide i would open my mouth because i was embarrassed to show my teeth. i was getting ready to buy a new shiny red pickup. as i was getting ready to purchase it, i made a decision it was time to do something for myself that was gonna be permanent. >> announcer: you might be wondering if dental implants are worth it, but what if you never had to think about, worry about, or cover up your smile ever again? what if you could have beautiful new teeth at a cost that works within your monthly budget? >> i don't know how you would put a price on such a change in your life. to make the investment wasn't a tough decision at all.

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