Your best bat

Prince Fielder made a splash at the All-Star Home Run Derby in Kansas City last night. Eight splashes to be exact, as he lofted balls straight into the right field fountains. The Detroit slugger is now in the history books along side Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to win multiple derby titles.

The pro-baller will tell you practice is key in his successes. That and a little video game action as a child with Griffey Jr. and his father. Baseball at its simplest is repetitive motion: load, step, swing. As long as you can see and predict exactly where that speeding bullet of a ball will be... when it will be at the optimal position, you're good to go.

Detroit Tigers' Prince Fielder beat Toronto's Jose Bautista 12-7
in the MLB MVP Home run Derby July 9th.

The breakdown of the sport got us thinking about the surprising similarities between baseball and prosthodontics.

As a prosthodontist, a specialist in the replacement of missing teeth, Dr. Mary Dooley is familiar with repetitive motion, but that isn't what makes her so precise. It is her ability to "see that ball" and predict where it will be that gives her an edge.

Computer guided implant dentistry allows
virtual placement of implants to ensure success!

In the field of modern-day tooth replacement, patients of Dr. Mary Dooley are asked to have a CT scan performed. Consider this the "load" element in our baseball analogy. With a CT scan, prosthodontists are able to prepare for your dental implant surgery in its early stages. The next step in the process is unique. Our office utilizes advanced computer guides that allow the viritual placement of every implant. It is this stage that we'll label the "step." In reality, this is what allows Dr. Dooley to see and predict exactly where the real-life implants will go in a live patient. The virtual imagery gives her the precision she needs to make your case a home run. She can see where to place the implant, how deep to insert the implant and what size implant you'll need for optimal positioning. Finally, surgery day, and she "swings," and gets that hit of a lifetime with the successful placement and healing of new dental implants! The winner in this case, is the patient, but we're happy to accept the applause!   

The advancement is so important it puts the use of digital x-rays back in the shadows. No longer will prosthodontists have to extrapolate information from xrays. The ability to see a patient's implants before placement is amazing!

If you are considering having full size or mini dental implants, ask your doctor if they will be using a computerized surgical guide. Your chances of success will be dramatically increased, and your smile, that much brighter! Total Care Dentistry and Dr. Mary Dooley are excited to offer specials on implant placement this summer. Call 757-486-4880 or click here to schedule online and ask for more information.