No more yanking teeth! It has to be gentle and controlled. Tooth removal should be atraumatic and preserve bone. That way, patients have the best chance of success with dental implants. Chris Rafoth is the owner of Lyons Creek Dental Care, providing medical dentistry, dental implants, and facial esthetics since 1998 for Shoreline and greater Seattle areas, as well as communities in King and Snohomish counties. Any questions or comments? Contact him at chris@lyonscreekdentalcare.com today! [ Read More ]

Second in the series. Bone defects and bone atrophy are common byproducts of tooth removal, and need to be addressed before teeth are removed or dental implants are considered. Bone grafts are an important solution to discuss prior to removing and replacing teeth. Chris Rafoth is the owner of Lyons Creek Dental Care, providing medical dentistry, dental implants, and facial esthetics since 1998 for Shoreline and greater Seattle areas, as well as communities in King and Snohomish counties. Any questions or comments? Contact him at chris@lyonscreekdentalcare.com today! [ Read More ]

Dr. Rafoth has growing concerns about patients who are hoping for dental implants when they lose teeth. This is part one of a multi-part series on what patients need to think about when having teeth removed and replaced. Chris Rafoth is the owner of Lyons Creek Dental Care, providing medical dentistry, dental implants, and facial esthetics since 1998 for Shoreline and greater Seattle areas, as well as communities in King and Snohomish counties. Any questions or comments? Contact him at chris@lyonscreekdentalcare.com today! [ Read More ]

We do a lot of oral surgery at Lyons Creek Dental Care. We screen each patient for risks and potential complications. A recent position paper by the American Association of Oral Surgeons was released that explains the nature and risks of osteonecrosis of the jaws following oral surgery. In the following two videos, I discuss the nature of the disease, as well as how to manage the risks. Chris Rafoth is the owner of Lyons Creek Dental Care, providing medical dentistry, dental implants, and facial esthetics since 1998 for Shoreline and greater Seattle areas, as well as communities in King and… [ Read More ]

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that affects an estimated 12 million Americans and another 40 million are at risk for developing the disease. One of the troubling things about osteoporosis is that it is rarely detected before a fracture occurs. At that point, the disease is more advanced and bones have already lost much of their density. Luckily, dentists are on the lookout for early signs of osteoporosis. “The first sign of osteoporosis is usually discovered when we do a thorough gum and bone examination,” says Dr. Rafoth. Depending on what the dentist finds in the examination, taking into account… [ Read More ]

While the cosmetic and functional benefits of dental implants are numerous, the healing process has the potential to be prolonged and complicated. Once implants are placed, they can be at risk due to a period of weakness caused by the surrounding areas attempting to adapt to the foreign implant. During this period of confusion at the cellular level, the bone will actually disintegrate, or resorb, first, and then begin to heal. However, recent research published in the scientific journal Bone brings good news to doctors and patients alike. A team of researchers at New York University has confirmed that the OSSEAN surface of Intra-Lock®… [ Read More ]