TeethXpress Smiles
By Ken McEntee
The ability to change a person’s life in a matter of a few hours.
That, reveals Dr. John Heimke, owner of Facial Aesthetic Designers, is one of the things that guided him into cosmetic-implant dentistry.
“There is a lot of research about the impact of a great smile,” Dr. Heimke emphasizes. “A person’s smile can affect them emotionally and mentally. A beautiful smile can create confidence, and studies have shown that a better smile can give you advantages in getting jobs and actually doing better economically. A bad smile, on the other hand, can totally disrupt your life. I feel it’s my job to change that.”
One way Dr. Heimke can change your life is by replacing your teeth with a sturdy, natural-looking implant bridge. The implant bridge is computer designed to perfectly complement your face—and your personality. An established treatment combines Dr. Heimke’s unique skill set of Digital Smile Design with a procedure that anchors a full new set of upper and/or lower teeth with just four or five dental implants per jaw.
“We call it ‘TeethXpress,’ or the ‘All on Four Concept,’” Dr. Heimke explains. “The patient comes in with a failing set of teeth and leaves with a functioning, aesthetic smile, often that same day.”
Actually, the first bridge, which is completely functional almost immediately after it is placed, is a prototype that, after around three months of implant healing, will be replaced with a sturdy, long-lasting Prettau Zirconia Implant Bridge.
Improved Appearance and Health
“Most people come to me because they don’t like their smile,” reveals Dr. Heimke. As one of just three Digital Smile Design (DSD) masters/instructors in the country, they’ve made a well-qualified choice.
“The Prettau Zirconia Implant Bridge is ideal for people whose teeth are beyond needing just one or two single implants and crowns,” he adds.
“This is for people whose teeth, for one reason or another, are on a downward trend and would be better off having them all taken out and starting over. This is a much better alternative to removable dentures or permanent plastic replacements that can develop terrible odors and are subject to chipping and breaking.”
Although most people associate dentures with elderly people, the average age of patients getting the Prettau Zirconia Implant Bridge is about 50, with a range from about 30 to 80, Dr. Heimke says.
Dr. Heimke shared the story of a 35-year-old father who recently received a beautiful new smile.
“His teeth were failing,” he recalls.
“One day, his four-year-old child made a comment about his smile and it crushed him. There are many cases like this. Sometimes there is a genetic component to bad teeth. Sometimes a patient doesn’t take care of his or her teeth, or doesn’t visit the dentist regularly. The result can be missing teeth or gum disease, which often leads to a person’s body being chronically sick from always fighting mouth infections. In this father’s case, we extracted his teeth and started over. He was delighted with the results.”
Teamwork
Dr. Heimke likens the process to constructing a new building.
First, he says, there is a design—or architectural—stage. That’s his focus. Using Digital Smile Design technology, Dr. Heimke incorporates a patient’s facial features—and even the patient’s personality—into an ideally shaped and spaced smile.
“We use video of a patient during a conversation to capture personality traits,” he says.
“Famous psychiatrist Carl Jung found there is a personality connection to the shape of a person’s teeth. That’s one of the things I consider as I interview the patient and listen to what his or her wants and needs are. We are striving for a very natural look.”
The next stage is the “engineering” stage, during which he consults with the lab that will create the Zirconia Bridge and the surgeon—Dr. Michael Morgan—who will install the implants. With his team’s input, an individualized treatment plan is formulated. Finally, during the “construction” stage, Dr. Morgan performs the implant surgery, and Dr. Heimke then adds the necessary components to the implants to create the TeethXpress smile.
“Over the next three or four months, the patient wears the prototype as a test that we can fine tune and make adjustments to if necessary before creating the permanent Prettau Zirconia Bridge based on the prototype. With the Prettau Zirconia Bridge in place there are no more cavities and a beautiful smile to last a long time, even for the rest of his or her life. When people see the patient, it looks like he or she has gorgeous, white, natural teeth.”
A Reasonable Investment
“The cost for this procedure is along the lines of buying a small car. Most of my Prettau Zirconia Bridge clients are average-income people who value the day-in, day-out, year-after-year improvement in their lives,” Dr. Heimke assures. “That’s why this is the wave of the future for people who are having major dental problems.”
You can begin planning for a better smile—and a better life—by calling Dr. Heimke, at 888-255-3588 for a consultation. New smile cases resulting from consultations by May 31, 2017, will enjoy a free Digital Smile Design. You can find out more on his website, EveryoneLovesMySmile.com, and Dr. Morgan’s website, MorganDentalImplants.com. Facial Aesthetic Designers is located at 21851 Center Ridge Road, Suite 302, in Rocky River.