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(904) 656-1117 · JacksonvilleDentalSpecialists.com · September 2025
CELEBRATING OUR PARTNERS Annual Event Toasts the Success of Our Professional Relationships Our 2025 annual Partners & Pinot Celebration at Cooper’s Hawk in the St. Johns Town Center was an incredible success! Hosted by all of us at Jacksonville Dental Specialists, the evening brought together our valued referring doctors and staff for a memorable night filled with conversation, laughter, and, of course, exceptional wine. The purpose of the evening was simple: strengthen relationships, show our appreciation, and provide a relaxed environment where business and friendship could blend seamlessly. The cozy atmosphere set the stage perfectly, creating the ideal backdrop for sharing stories, exchanging ideas, and toasting the successes we’ve all achieved together. In addition to the wine tasting, we had the privilege of surprising our guests with exciting gifts throughout the night. From restorative kits and ergonomic saddle chairs to a fun gift card to DSW, the giveaways added a touch of excitement and made the evening even more special. Most importantly, the event reminded us of how vital collaboration is in providing the best care possible. We are so grateful to our partners for their continued trust and support, and we look forward to building on these relationships in the years ahead. Here’s to another year of partnership, growth, and plenty of good times! —Lydia Salis Practice Manager
JacksonvilleDentalSpecialists.com · 1
IMMEDIATE VS. STAGED LOAD IN FULL-ARCH
Full-arch implant dentistry has changed the way we restore patients who have lost all their teeth. Today, it’s possible to transform a patient’s smile in a single visit, but one of the biggest questions we face as clinicians is when to place the teeth. Do we deliver a fixed provisional prosthesis right after surgery, or do we wait and give the implants time to heal first? There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer; it depends on bone quality, implant stability, and the patient’s ability to heal. Immediate loading, where patients leave the office the same day with a fixed set of teeth, has a powerful appeal. Patients love it because they don’t have to go through weeks or months wearing a removable denture, and the emotional lift of walking out with a new smile is hard to overstate. From the clinician’s perspective, immediate loading can also be efficient. When multiple implants are connected with a cross-arch provisional, forces are distributed, micromotion is reduced, and osseointegration can still occur successfully. Advances in guided surgery and digital planning have made this approach more predictable than ever. But immediate loading comes with conditions. The implants need excellent primary stability, with insertion torque usually above 30 to 35 Ncm. Dense mandibular bone provides the most reliable environment for this, while softer maxillary bone can make stability harder to achieve. If the foundation isn’t there, forcing an immediate prosthesis can put the whole case at risk.
That’s why delayed loading remains the more cautious path. In this model, implants are left undisturbed for 3–6 months before being put into operation. This allows osseointegration to occur without the stresses of chewing and is especially important when bone quality is poor, grafting has been done, or systemic conditions could slow healing. It’s the conservative option, and for patients with complicating factors like diabetes or smoking, it often provides the safest long-term outlook. The trade-off, of course, is that the patient has to live with a removable interim prosthesis during the healing period. The contrast between the two approaches is not just clinical but also psychological. Immediate loading delivers an almost instant transformation, and patients frequently describe it as life changing. Studies have shown that patient satisfaction scores tend to be higher with immediate loading, even though long-term survival rates are similar between the two approaches. The key is making sure patients understand their limitations: The prosthesis they receive on surgery day is provisional, not final, and dietary restrictions are crucial to avoid overloading the implants. On the other hand, patients who go through delayed loading may initially feel disappointed, but many are reassured by the idea of taking the safer, more predictable path. When looking at outcomes, the evidence has been consistent. Both immediate and delayed protocols show survival rates well above 95 percent when cases are selected appropriately. Most failures are tied not to the timing of loading but to inadequate primary stability or patient-specific risk factors. The differences tend to show up in smaller details: Immediate loading cases may run into more mechanical issues, such as screw loosening or provisional fractures, while delayed loading avoids those early prosthetic hiccups but comes at the cost of patient convenience. In practice, many clinicians take a blended approach. If a set of implants achieves strong torque and feels solid, those can be loaded immediately, while others in weaker bone are left to heal. This hybrid model allows for flexibility, balancing patient expectations with biological caution. The decision to load immediately or delay should never be about convenience alone. Immediate loading brings real advantages in terms of patient satisfaction and workflow efficiency, but it places demands on stability and patient compliance. Delayed loading sacrifices speed but builds in an extra margin of safety, particularly for higher-risk cases. Both paths can work beautifully when chosen thoughtfully. Ultimately, it comes down to careful evaluation of bone quality, insertion torque, and the patient’s overall healing capacity. Our role is to weigh those factors honestly with the patient and guide them toward the option that will provide not only a functional prosthesis, but also confidence that their treatment will hold up over the long term. Done right, full-arch rehabilitation, whether immediate or staged, restores more than just teeth. It restores predictability, trust, and quality of life.
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FP1 vs. FP2 vs. FP3 Dental Implants When planning a full-arch case, the decision is never just about placing implants; it’s about how the final restoration will look, function, and feel in the patient’s mouth. That’s where the FP1, FP2, and FP3 classifications come in. These categories help clinicians, and their referral partners, choose the right prosthetic design based on how much hard and soft tissue remains, guiding us toward the most natural and sustainable outcome.
FP1 is the most conservative option. It’s used when the patient still has adequate gum and bone, allowing the prosthesis to mimic natural teeth without replacing visible soft tissue. The advantage is esthetics and hygiene: Patients can brush and floss almost like they would with natural dentition. Phonetics are also very natural, since tooth proportions stay close to normal. The catch is that it requires a relatively intact ridge, which not every full-arch patient presents with. FP2 comes into play when gingival levels are uneven or there’s moderate bone loss. The prosthesis replaces the crowns of the teeth and some of the missing tissue, creating a longer- looking restoration. This strikes a balance: It allows us to level the smile line and restore esthetics while maintaining simple hygiene protocols. Patients may need to adapt to slight differences in speech or cleaning techniques, but overall comfort is high. FP3 is the go-to when there’s significant tissue loss. Here, both teeth and soft tissue are replaced in the prosthesis, often with pink ceramic or acrylic mimicking gum structure. It’s the most transformative option, restoring facial support and esthetics in cases where collapse has occurred. FP3 can achieve dramatic results, but it also requires the most patient education, since hygiene involves water flossers and specialized cleaning methods rather than conventional brushing alone. The goal is to balance esthetics, phonetics, and hygiene while setting realistic expectations. By matching the restoration type to the patient’s anatomy, we can provide not only a beautiful smile, but also a solution that is comfortable, maintainable, and built to last.
JacksonvilleDentalSpecialists.com · 3
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
11512 Lake Mead Ave. #532 Jacksonville, FL 32256
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Immediate vs. Staged Load in Full-Arch
Refer Your Full Arch Cases
FP1 vs. FP2 vs. FP3 Dental Implants
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