Monday, November 13, 2006 Dental implants, anyone? By Jenara Regis Newman
THERE is a new facility along Don Gil Garcia street that calls itself Dimoc, for Dental Implant Multi-Disciplinary Oral Care Center. Housed in a new two-storey building, the center is the first in the Philippines, and perhaps in Southeast Asia, that is geared towards training dentists to do dental implants using the simpler technology developed by Dr. Robert Fromental from Lyon, France.
Dr. Fromental practices not just in his native France but also in Italy and other parts of the world. He studied in France, Boston and New York University and is a specialist in implantology. After more than a decade of doing implants, he developed his own technique because, as he says, “I have a big experience of other systems of implants and sometimes, I cannot find exactly what I want because I am oriented on the preservation of soft tissue for better aesthetic reasons. The other reason is the preservation of the bone around the neck of the implant.”
He explains, “Implantology is the surgical approach that can replace a tooth or all teeth with a fixed bridge, or stabilize a full denture for the comfort and the aesthetics of the patient. An implant is an artificial root usually in titanium (but could also be other metal) which has the possibility to be integrated into the bone.” He developed a new technique in implantology that makes possible “immediate loading so we can put the implant and the prosthesis on the same day for a full set of teeth, or for an hour for a single tooth replacement. This technique has been approved for 12 years now.” After the implant, the patient will have to wait three months for the bone to heal, after which a permanent prosthesis will be set.
Dr. Fromental says he wanted “to make a system that is rational, affordable, and for the patient, the most appropriate. It gives the patient the best way of treatment, comfort, function and aesthetic.”
Asked why he’s in Cebu, he answered that, “I met dentists in Cebu last summer and we were talking about implantology. They told me that it is not a well-developed technique and so we have established a collaboration about training dentists on the more advanced cases and to bring European technology to the Philippines. (This facility) will be a training center for dentists who want to use my technique because I can help them in such development.” The advantage to his technique is that it is more simple, has respect for the bone and soft tissue and is economically better for the patient because the technique has been simplified.
Among the dentists involved are Dr. Robert Pangan (he’s both dentist and medical doctor), who is adviser to the group and will train local dentists in implant surgery; Dr. Irwin Hernandez, who will train and teach on the prosthetic side; Dr. Gaston Batiller, who heads the restorative section; Dr. Nancy Ang, Dr. Andrea Arancillo, Dr. Eloise Batiller, Dr. Christine Carvajal, Dr. Patrick Chua of Dumaguete, Dr. Emma Dy, Dr. Giselle Lahaylahay, Dr. Cindy Caroline Lim, Dr. Rachel Lim, Dr. Chona Pascual, Dr. Clarisse Pe, and Dr. Grace Sang.
