tomorrow's test material

I have a midterm tomorrow.  The class is DENT 1739 Advanced Topics in Implant Dentistry.  That means I get to study lots of pictures like this:

You might think this looks quite gross, but it is actually really cool.  This patient had two teeth removed and then a bone graft and membrane placed to retain the graft.  Then it was left to heal.  Later, implants were placed to restore the missing teeth.

Isn't it pretty awesome that you can put powdered bone into a hole where a tooth once was and have it turn into hard solid bone?  That solid bone can then support an implant by actually fusing to the titanium.  It is so cool.  You might be thinking, "But Dana, where does the bone powder come from?"  Truth is, there are lots of sources of bone graft material.  The patient can be their own donor and have their own bone removed from other places in the mouth or in the leg or hip; this is called an autograft.  The bone can be cadaveric bone; this is called an allograft.  Bone graft materials can come from different animals, such as pigs or cows; these are called xenografts.  Or you can by fake bone that is synthesized in a laboratory.  No matter which type of bone you use, it will all eventually turn into the person's own bone.  It is truly amazing.  (So, I may be geeking out a little bit.  However, I had several lectures on bone grafts in recent weeks.  Humor me.)

And guess what the best part is?  They let me DO THIS ON REAL PEOPLE.  In two weeks, we have a patient coming in to have all his remaining teeth extracted (about 12?), bone grafts placed, tori removed, and an immediate denture placed.  Later, after the sites have healed, we will go back and put implants in.  Once the implants integrate into the bone, we will eventually place abutments on top of the implants that snap into the denture to support it.  And the patient can snap the dentures in and out to clean them.  It will look something like this:

It is going to be awesome.  And I might actually take out some of his teeth tomorrow.  They are hurting and he can't wait 2 more weeks.  Excellent.  I kind of like extracting teeth.  Don't judge.  (Seriously, I'm not cruel or anything.  I do think that taking people's teeth out is sad.  However, it is really gratifying to finally get a tooth out in one piece.  You spend time loosening the tooth and finding the "purchase point" that will let you lever that puppy out of the hole, essentially.  When it finally comes out, you feel a sense of achievement.  It is kind of weird, really.)