STORY: MINI-IMPLANTS

SCRIPT #534 SHOOT: 11/12/03

AIRDATE: Monday, December 8, 2003

DHC MASTER #18 Timecode: 42:45 Overall health can suffer if you lose

many of your teeth.

Now, a new type of implant solves

a major problem for people who

need dentures.

Dr. Linda Niessen looks at mini-

implants in today’s segment of

Dental Health Check.

sovt: 1:41

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PATIENT IN DENTAL CHAIR (VOICE-OVER)

Mini implants fill the gap that’s been

DENTURE WITH IMPLANTS missing for years in the treatment of

lost teeth.

IMPLANT SURGERY Conventional implants require a certain

amount of bone to hold the titanium post or implant.

X-RAY SHOWING BONE So some patients, especially older

ones, could not have implants.

MIN-IMPLANTS Now, there is an alternative: the

mini-implant.

SUPER: Dr. Steven Fuqua (“Many times, the implants are placed

Dentist :24-29 without an incision. Healing time is

rather quick. Activation is immediate. So they go home with their dentures being supported by the implants themselves.”)

two-SHOT Dr. Steven Fuqua, a prosthodontist, says the new implants work well with lower dentures.

DR. FUQUA (“The patient has more security, more stability of the denture. They can go out and not worry about the denture being loose or coming out of their mouth.”)

CRYSTALINE WHEELER For 30 years, Crystaline Wheeler has

SUPER: Southlake worn conventional dentures. She now

has lower mini-implants.

SUPER: Crystaline Wheeler (“They couldn’t make dentures that

Mini-implant Patient would stay in. So they put the implants

in and they hold them real good and tight.”)

MORE MINI IMPLANTS Mini implants attach only to lower dentures. Dentists place four implants but some patients do well with just two.

FAYE MILLER Faye Miller has just two implants for

her lower denture.

SUPER: Faye Miller (“Without the implants, the dentures

Mini-implant Patient just slide around and I didn’t like that.”)

SUPER: Dr. Steven Williams (“It’s a very nice streamlined effective

Dentist 1:21-1:25 way to satisfy an age old problem of lower dentures just not fitting well.”)

ON CAMERA (STAND-UP CLOSE)

SUPER: Dr. Linda Niessen Mini implants are so new we don’t

Baylor College of Dentistry have long term studies. But patients

1:30-1:35 say the benefits of increased comfort

and security outweigh any disadvantages. For Baylor College of

Dentistry, Texas A&M System, I’m

Dr. Linda Niessen, Channel 8 News.