Posted by Thomas Balshi on Fri, Apr 26, 2013 @ 04:20 PM
We have a little exciting news to share.
Next Tuesday April 30th 10:00pm we (Pi team) will be featured on FOX NEWS Program hosted by Joyce Evans, their Philadelphia anchor. The program will document the TEETH IN A DAY treatment of Patty Jackson, the WDAS radio talk show hostess.
We will also be featured on Fox’s ‘GOOD DAY PHILADELPHIA’ on Wednesday morning 5 to 9am.
After the feature airs in the Philadelphia area it will go national on the Fox network.
Please tell all your family and friends. Thanks for spreading the word.
Posted by Thomas Balshi on Tue, Apr 16, 2013 @ 09:14 AM
People speak loosely of “the cutting edge” but how do we determine the sharpest blades in any professional venue? Certainly it cannot simply be self-proclaimed. It must be earned by an aggressive effort to consistently contribute to the well being of society, bringing ease to difficult paths in ways that are innovative and scientifically pristine.
In the dental profession, CT scanning technology has brought many specialty practices to the cutting edge. From the standpoint of predictability, CT scanning enhances dental implant protocols, oral surgery, root canal therapy and orthodontic treatment, honing in on ultimate precision. Because it accomplishes its tasks with reduced levels of radiation, it is also safer and more affordable for the patient.
CT scanning simplifies surgical planning, providing the clinician or the radiologist with an opportunity to diagnose both dental and non-dental pathology within the area of the scan. Studies prove that CT technology more accurately depicts bone height, width, and important anatomic structures than traditional two-dimensional x-rays.
In a Pi Dental Center research analysis, a board certified oral-maxillofacial radiologist evaluated 261 consecutive patient scans. Ninety-five percent (248 0f 261) of these scans indicated non-dental pathology and seventy-eight percent were diagnosed with multiple pathologies. Problems found ranged from the relatively innocuous chronic sinusitis to potentially more serious findings such as intracranial calcifications, multiple myeloma, soft tissue masses and proptosis. A list of 28 different diagnosed non-dental pathologies discovered in the study is found below.
Pathology
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Chronic sinusitis
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Mucous retention pseudocyst in sinus
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Narrowing of the osteomeatal complex
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Antral polyposis
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Pneumatization of sinus
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Mucositits
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Nasoseptal deviation
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Concha Bullosa
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Osteoarthritis of the TMJ
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Remodeling of TMJ
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Internal Derangement of the TMJ
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Calcification of carotid arteries
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Intracranial Calcification
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Airway narrowing
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Tonsillolith
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Adenoidal hyperplasia
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Vallecula fullness
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Maxillary Hypoplasia
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Degenerative cervical spine
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Herniation of an intervertebral disc
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Cholesteatoma
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Proptosis
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Frontal Bossing
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Soft Tissue Mass
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Endostosis
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Idiopathic Osteosclerosis
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Florid Osseous Dysplasia
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Multiple Myeloma
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The Pi in our logo designates our full name, Prosthodontics Intermedica, and our mission to treat the whole patient and not just the smile. The use of CT scans has helped us fulfill that mission and to direct those patients facing jeopardy into the hands of specialists who can provide the most skilled solutions.
Link to learn more about CT Scanning Techology
Link to Article: Prevalence of Non-Dental Pathology in Cone Beam Computed Tomography Studies for Dental Implants by Balshi TJ, DDS, PhD, FACP, Wolfinger GJ, DMD, FACP, Wulc BA, Balshi SF, MBE
Posted by Thomas Balshi on Mon, Mar 25, 2013 @ 11:21 AM
Do You Have a Prosthodontist?
Coming Soon
Prosthodontics Awareness Week - April 8 - 13, 2013
Please join us as we casually showcase
the art and science of Prosthodontics,
the dental specialty that holds the cutting edge
on perfectly amazing smiles!
The Pi Dental Center Presents
Open House
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
5 to 7 PM
467 Pennsylvania Avenue
Suite 108
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
RSVP to Linda Maroney at 215-646-6334
Meet the neighborhood’s board certified prosthodontists.
Enjoy a guided tour of one of America’s leading dental centers.
Ask Questions with No Obligations
Refreshments and Giveaways
VIEW FLYER IN PDF FORMAT
Posted by Pi Dental Center - on Mon, Mar 18, 2013 @ 11:14 AM
It’s music to Pi ears!
After many months of searching for the perfect hygienist to fill the retired shoes of our beloved Joann Coughlan, we proudly announce that we have invited Dolly Kituskie, RDH to join the Pi team.
Dolly comes to us with strong clinical experience, but more importantly she radiates the Pi spirit. Full of professional passion, patient compassion, and the desire to advance the best that dentistry has to offer, we feel honored to have another extraordinary dental hygienist as part of the Pi team.
We invite our patients to schedule their next appointment with our own “Dolly” and to anticipate a memorable dental hygiene visit.
If you haven’t sparkled up your smile in some time, Come back to Pi this Spring, Say hello to Dolly, And enjoy a happy, healthy smile experience.
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Posted by Thomas Balshi on Tue, Feb 26, 2013 @ 12:44 PM
For those of us who are movie enthusiasts, Sunday night’s 85th annual presentation of Oscars was filled with accolades for grand achievement. For the first time ever, nine movies were in contention for the best, and every one of them had an inspiring story. There were heartwarming moments when “Hollywood” spoke some words of profound wisdom. There seemed to be a graciousness in the Academy ceremony that has been missing for a substantial number of years.
The highest volume of Oscars went to a movie called the Life of Pi. Capturing four of the prized statues, this is a movie that touches the heart deeply, whisks in the amazing strength of human resilience and unabashedly blends magic that seems quite believable as it is actually happening.
The Pi Dental Center can take no credit for the Oscar winning movie that chose the name, The Life of Pi. Nevertheless, for members of the Pi team, there are some stirring parallels to the life we dream to create each day for patients in harm’s way. Our own “tigers” are passionate about dental rescue. Sometimes it almost takes magic to cast the life line, but the power of the smile has nearly indefinable dimensions and when we finish our job, that awe has the same flavor as the movie.
Now and then, the Pi team does win a tangible accolade. When an article is published in a journal, when a certificate is awarded for a lecture to a dental academy, when a research project captures a prize at a national meeting, it gives us reason to celebrate the Life of Pi.
But much more importantly, our stage is the daily business of living our mission and our “Oscars” are our patients’ expressions of jubilation when we have made our rescue and their healthy,secure smile is beaming back at them in the mirror.
So today in the afterglow of the Academy Awards, we thank you, our patients, for your confidence in our team, for your expressions of gratitude, for putting us to the challenge and for bringing out the best in each one of us. We are committed to prosthodontic magic and we are always in pursuit of your prize, the winning smile.
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Posted by Thomas Balshi on Mon, Feb 18, 2013 @ 02:45 PM
Addressing the “Mission Impossible”
By Thomas J. Balshi, DDS,PhD,FACP
Technological advancements have led to superior outcomes for patients, but they have also ensured that experiences in the prosthodontist’s chair are faster and smoother than ever before.
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The smile is a vital asset to human well-being. The prosthodontist’s professional pride is in building smiles that are worthy of celebration. Dental implant technology has enabled us to deliver healthy smiles with superior esthetics for virtually every patient. Innovations have reduced the time and trauma from the procedure, permitting remarkable results with minimal treatment time and a smooth recovery.
The cutting edge of prosthodontic expertise addresses “Mission Impossible” clinical conditions and makes them do-able. This is most particularly evident in patients with severe bone loss. In past times, they often began their journey in a hospital, giving up bone from another site to be later used in the jaw. Today, we may sidestep bone grafting using extraordinary data available from cone beam CT scans to plan in 3D intricate surgeries on a computer and, with computer generated templates, surgically place zygomatic and pterygomaxillary implants. This “No Bone Solutions” protocol completely eliminates donor site morbidity with grafting and provides the patient with immediate gratification by placement of an implant-retained prosthesis immediately following surgery. Recovery time is drastically reduced and most patients are fully functional the next day.
The combination of surgical technology with zygomatic implants and refined laboratory technology has proven to be a patient-friendly experience that delivers predictably high quality results. The cone beam CT scan and the 3-D planning gives us the opportunity to create the best possible technique for the actual surgery, and allows us to determine both the bone anchorage points for the implants and the prosthetic emergence points for screw retention.
The long-term success of such sophisticated dental implant treatment is critically dependent on the quality of the final prosthesis. Technology now allows robots to mill exact frameworks to support highly esthetic individual ceramic enamel-like crowns and especially life-like gingival prostheses. Our use of individual crowns on computer generated frameworks has eliminated screw holes in the crowns, which adds to the natural esthetics of the prosthesis and allows the crowns to maintain maximum integrity. In our practice, this process builds upon the immediate prosthesis “prototype” and permits refinement of the initial plan by skilled dental technicians. The many advantages of digital design culminate in a prosthesis that fits, functions and appears excellent.
Instead of the eighteen-month plus treatment plan using bone grafting, new technologies allow us to reach the same destination in essentially three visits. Our imaging technology permits 1) placement of implants and provisional prosthesis during one visit, 2) a final impression following implant integration and 3) delivery of the final prosthesis. Many patients who previously thought the pathway to teeth was impossible today find this technology to be a stepping stone to a dream come true. We are honored and privileged to incorporate it into our everyday care and to build celebrated smiles. We are prosthodontists!
About the author
Thomas J. Balshi, D.D.S., PhD., F.A.C.P.
Dr. Thomas J. Balshi is a Diplomate of The American Board of Prosthodontics and founder of Prosthodontics Intermedica, the Pi Dental Center, in Fort Washington, PA. He is also a director at the Institute For Facial Esthetics. Both his graduate and post-graduate degrees were earned from Temple University School of Dentistry, and he received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Cabrini College. Dr. Balshi received his surgical and prosthetic implant training directly from Professor Per Ingvar Bränemark, Institute For Applied Biotechnology. He is a Charter Member and Fellow of the Academy of Osseointegration, a Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Prosthodontists and the ICP. He was a Founder and President of the Pennsylvania Prosthodontic Association. His academic focus is teaching the principles of immediate loading implants combined with digital technology. Dr. Balshi has developed treatment protocols exclusive to Pi, including Teeth in a Day® for accelerated rehabilitation and No BoneZ Solution™, to eliminate the need for extensive bone grafting. He is an adjunct professor of both Temple University and Nova Southeastern University. His team has provided special training programs at The Institute For Facial Esthetics for Prosthodontic and Surgical Residents from Harvard, Maryland, UMDNJ, UCONN, Columbia, Loma Linda, Temple and Nova Southeastern. His most recent textbook contribution is in Zygomatic Implants – The Anatomy-Guided Approach (Quintessence).
Article in PDF Format
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Posted by Pi Dental Center - on Fri, Jan 11, 2013 @ 01:41 PM
Many years ago, a female patient came to the Pi Dental Center with a very interesting request. Her fiftieth high school reunion was on the horizon and while she had retained a healthy figure and a full crop of naturally blonde hair, her smile was something to be best kept hidden. A few missing teeth that had never been replaced had caused her jaw to shrink and her cheeks to sink inward creating premature wrinkle lines. This patient wanted her smile returned to its high school sparkle. For the Pi team, this was a fun project and “a piece of cake.”
“Mrs. Smith” had the time of her life at the class reunion. She was voted the best preserved of all of the “girls.” A few implants replaced the empty spaces (or black holes) and a new, bright porcelain prosthesis filled the upper arch of her mouth, pushing all of the wrinkles away. It almost seemed that she had undergone a very successful face lift, when in fact, her only cosmetic indulgence had been a smile investment that would hold its value for many more years.
Remembering “Mrs. Smith” stirred interesting conversation among the Pi staff, many of whom are beginning to attend their own class reunions. One staff member commented that her old friends insisted she “had work done,” alluding to plastic surgery but not quite being able to determine what kind. No one seemed to grasp that it was all in her smile.
According to celebrated American fashion designer and film director, Tom Ford, a stylish man needs to possess fifteen things. Among them are everything from good jeans to a classic tux and a perfect pair of sunglasses, but the possession on which he elaborates most is that of a radiant smile. His advice is this: if you don’t have perfect teeth, save up and get them.
As the new year begins and we all contemplate how to make the quality of life better than before, one worthy consideration is the health and appearance of our smile. Teeth that are structurally well aligned and free of decay very positively impact general health, and teeth that are attractive and young very positively impact our outlook and confidence. Be smarter than a fifth grader: don’t fear the dentist. He or she knows exactly where to find the Fountain of Youth!
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Posted by Pi Dental Center - on Tue, Jan 08, 2013 @ 10:04 AM
Posted Thursday, December 27, 2012 by Anna K. Fryxell, Social Media Associate, New Beauty Magazine
You’ve heard us mention time and time again that your smile is often the first thing people notice about you. And in the pursuit of a perfect smile, many often turn to hydrogen peroxide. But is it safe to use? We asked the experts.
“Using peroxide diluted appropriately can certainly help maintain gum tissue health and can slowly whiten teeth,” says New York cosmetic dentist Jason Kasarsky, DDS. It kills bacteria and even has the power to help heal mouth sores and disinfect your toothbrush. But the key thing to remember is that you have to use it properly and dilute it to a safe percentage.
“While a diluted concentration of hydrogen peroxide is marketed and sold professionally over the counter as an oral rinse, there are some concerns with its use,” says Fort Washington, PA, prosthodontist Glenn J. Wolfinger, DMD. “The major problem arises in patient's ability to accurately dilute solutions and monitor usage to a safe level.”
Dr. Kasarsky says to follow the “one third, one third and one third” rule. That means that the mixture you use should include equal parts of hydrogen peroxide, water and Listerine. If you feel unsure of your mixing ability, you can use a product called Peroxyl that contains a safe amount of hydrogen peroxide.
“There are no bad effects that can occur if you dilute it appropriately,” says Dr. Kasarsky. If it’s not diluted properly, you can create tooth sensitivity and blanche your gums, although the negative effects typically don’t last very long. As for the rumor that rinsing with hydrogen peroxide can cause cancer, that’s a myth as it’s not a known carcinogen.
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New Beauty Magazine
Posted by Thomas Balshi on Thu, Dec 27, 2012 @ 02:26 PM
New Beauty Magazine, Winter 2013
Replace What's Lost With
Dental Implants
The patient's smile was restored using dental implants and the Teeth In A Day technique. This procedure was performed by Thomas J. Balshi, DDS; Fort Washington, Pa.
50%
The amount of adult Americans that are satisfied with their own smile.
Source: American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
Thomas J. Balshi, DDS, FACP
Glenn J. Wolfinger, DMD, FACP
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Ask Drs. Balshi and Wolfinger
WHAT STEPS HAVE YOU TAKEN TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC?
We were featured in Good Morning America, performing live surgery in 2005, and appeared on the Today Show in 2008, showcasing our popular Teeth In An Hour protocol to replace dentures with permanent teeth.
WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
We take pride in our trademarked Teeth In A Day procedure, as well as our incorporation of exclusive technology, enabling us to perform dental implant procedures on patients with minimal bone, without the use of bone grafts.
WHAT IS THE Pi DENTAL IMPLANT CENTER BEST KNOWN FOR?
We are known for creating very natural smiles. Besides the application of dental science and biomechanical engineering, we study each face and each personality. There is a perfect smile for every person. Together with our lab team on site, we can create that smile.
Natural smiles in a single visit
According to Dr. Balshi, Teeth In a Day, one of the practice's driving axioms, reflects the doctors' shared goal with each patient they treat: to restore function and esthetic quality in a single-day procedure. "Our systematic treatment plans enable us to restore a broken smile without the need for frequent appointments," says Dr. Balshi. "Using a rigid acrylic or titanium framework supported by implants, the process is expedited for immediate function." Dr. Balshi creates a visual image: "Picture a picket fence with each picket representing a tooth. The fence post goes into the ground, which in this instance, is the jawbone, and the framework is the cross member." "It provides those whose teeth cannot be saved with a permanent solution," adds Dr. Wolfinger. "We remove the natural teeth and clean the mouth, then fix the dental implants into the bone and connect the new set of teeth."
Today, the Pi Dental Implant Center at the Institute For Facial Esthetics enjoys and international reputation, with a multilingual staff of 40, two on-site labs, more than 25 years of experience, and the placement of 33,000 Brånemark dental implants. Working with Dr. Glenn Wolfinger, Dr. Thomas Balshi prides himself on the vast array of services they offer.
SERVICES OFFERED
Teeth In A Day
Teeth In An Hour
Smile Reconstructions
All-Ceramic Crowns and
Custom Veneers
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New Beauty Magazine
Posted by Thomas Balshi on Thu, Dec 20, 2012 @ 02:34 PM
Patients, who have been told that they do not have enough bone for successful dental implant treatment, feel discouraged and overwhelmed by the limited number of options presented to them by their dentists. Many of these patients are presented with a choice of removable dentures or lengthy and invasive treatment protocols.
Some of the dilemmas denture wearers experience include sore spots on the gums from rubbing, a decrease in bite force and an inability to eat many foods. Loose dentures move around and cause embarrassment in public. Some denture wearers have difficulty speaking with whistling or clicking of denture teeth. Many people who wear dentures also complain that food tastes bland.
Successful dental implant rehabilitation of the upper arch depends on the quality and quantity of bone. The term used to describe an upper jaw with very little bone is called a severely atrophic maxilla. Rehabilitation of the severely atrophic maxilla presents significant challenges for treatment. Inadequate bone volume often results in the use of bone grafting procedures that can lengthen treatment time and delay delivery of the non-removable prosthesis.
The No Bone Solution is a special treatment protocol developed at the Pi Dental Center. It combines unique computer guided implant surgery with precision screw retained fixed prosthodontic rehabilitation of the severely atrophic maxilla. The protocol eliminates the need for invasive bone grafting and extensive procedures.
This summer, The Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry published, A “No Bone” Treating the Atrophic Maxilla with Immediate Implant-Supported Fixed Prosthesis. Dr. Thomas Balshi and Stephen Balshi MBE wrote the article, which provided CE credits for dental professionals.
This article identified patients who might be candidates for this type of treatment. It discussed zygomatic and pterygomaxillary implants and described minimally invasive timesaving benefits of this protocol in comparison to sinus lift procedures.
The No Bone Solution protocol provides a restorative option for patients with severely atrophic maxillary bone. This protocol does not require bone augmentation and significantly reduces total treatment time for the patient compared to alternative procedures.
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The No Bone Solution?
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