b'The Smile of FreedomSTATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITYOPENS FOR DENTAL IMPLANTSStory & photos by Trina KleistTo eat out, to lift a glass with friends,who have developed a specialty with to laugh and jokewithout fear thatits own certifying bodies, and Miller your dentures are going to fall out belongs to both.thats a kind of freedom few peopleMillers new facility for Pine Hills would think about. Dentistry is set to become one of two Dentist Joseph Miller thoughtin California and 18 across the nation about freedom a lot as he planned and builtthat trains interns in the fledgling a state-of-the art dental implant center inspecialty, with two hospital-grade Grass Valleys Whispering Pines industrialsurgical suites.area. It opened in late 2021 and is already aIn addition, Millers office provides hub for advanced, on-site implant servicesstandard dental care supported for patients. Looking to the future, Millerby hospital-grade sanitation for also envisions it becoming a learninginstruments and hygiene for staff. center for other dental professionalsViews of oak and pine woods, honing their skills in this new specialty. local deer, bear and the occasional A dental implant consists of a metalmountain lion come with the post set into the jawbone, topped withpackage, through floor-to-ceiling a custom-crafted tooth replacement.windows in each of 10 private Implants can replace dentures andtreatment rooms.bridges with a permanent structureIN-HOUSE LAB: CUSTOM FITS, that fits better and is more comfortable.SHORT TURN-AROUNDTypically, implant procedures are performed by dentists or oral surgeons.In his in-house dental lab, Miller But Miller is part of a growingholds a model of a patients upper movement of impassioned professionalsand lower teeth. Their image was taken by low-radiation digital cameras. Im looking for pathology, People who have badbone density and thickness, Miller teeth or dentures, itsexplains. The forms are fabricated using 3-D printing and computer-like a handicap. Theyaided design and milling, meaning less gunk in the patients mouth.think about it every day.We use it for planning a surgery Were giving them theirbefore we ever start working with the patient, Miller adds. We need to freedom back. Thatsknow in 3-D space how much room my goal, to give peoplewe have to work with.Another machine helps him Dental models can now be created using in this community theirdigital camera and 3-D printing, as in themill a jig he will use to guide the lives back. top the bottom photos. Conventional plasterdrill precisely into the patients jaw. forms, like the one in the middle photo, left,More equipment helps him createDr. Joseph Miller leave debris in the patients mouth. the replacement teeth, and a set of Nevada County Business Focus 13'