,Toronto-based periodontist and educator Vinay Bhide, DDS, MSc, FRCD, shares his practice changing experience with DirectGen Flex, a one-of-a-kind, 100% allograft bone material,
,Dentistry is, in many ways, a pursuit of nature. That’s certainly the case for periodontist Dr. Vinay Bhide, whose mission is to not only replicate the function and esthetics of a patient’s natural teeth, but rebuild the underlying structures that support them. “Any time you can mimic nature, it is a benefit in terms of longevity and predictability,” he shared., ,One way that Dr. Bhide attempts to mimic nature is through guided bone regeneration (GBR). “What we’re trying to do with GBR,” he explained, “is to reconstruct a deficient jawbone to the point where we’re able to put implants into a prosthetically- or functionally oriented position.” This ultimately enables the implant to function properly, while allowing the patient to eat comfortably and enjoy an improved quality of life., , ,
,“I know the places where I can use it, and in those places, I think it works beautifully. It’s a gem of a product.”,– Vinay Bhide, DDS, MSc, FRCD, , ,The goal of GBR, shared Dr. Bhide, is to regain the alveolar bone lost following tooth extraction or periodontal disease, which typically requires filling the treatment site with either allogeneic or xenogeneic bone particles, and then covering it with a membrane made from collagen. “After about 6 months, we reenter the site and hopefully have a nice, rich jawbone that has good dimensions for us to place implants.”, ,Unfortunately, the results of GBR using conventional membranes can be unpredictable. “As long as I’ve been doing this procedure, I haven’t been totally happy with the results that I was achieving,” Dr. Bhide said. “Sometimes I’d see great results, and other times, although I would be able to get implants in, I wouldn’t be fully satisfied.” In turn, he began his search for a solution that would reliably give him a better outcome., ,Last year, Dr. Bhide’s search for the ideal bone grafting material unexpectedly came to an end amid a scene familiar to many dentists—cleaning off a desktop’s worth of promotional materials. Sifting through the pile, he happened to come across a 2-page flyer that “stuck out like a sore thumb.” It described a unique, demineralized cortical allograph sheet material from Implant Direct. It was DirectGen Flex, a product that Dr. Bhide immediately thought could be his “golden ticket” to more predictable and natural bone regeneration., ,Soon after, Dr. Bhide picked up the phone, ordered the product, and got to work. “I started by using it in about 4 or 5 cases and decided to just wait and see what happened. And I was really, really happy with the results I was getting—at that point, the material became a game-changer for me.”, ,In working with DirectGen Flex, Dr. Bhide identified 3 key benefits that make it a game-changing membrane material:,1. Made of 100% demineralized cortical bone, which makes it an optimal replacement for the body’s natural cortical bone layer. “When you’re using demineralized bone, it will actually turn over into new bone because the demineralization process exposes the surface to factors called bone morphogenetic proteins, which are potent inducers of bone formation.”,2. Rigid but with good flexibility, which in his experience, allows clinicians to truly “create and maintain a good contour and dimension of bone without worrying about things collapsing.”,3. Extremely easy to use. After working with the material over the past year, he’s had few issues. “I know the places where I can use it, and in those places, I think it works beautifully. It’s a gem of a product.”, ,To learn more about Implant Direct and speak with a representative, visit implantdirect.com. To see more case examples from Dr. Bhide, find him on Instagram @drbhideperio.,
