Here is a list of 20 things to know about Pi Dental Center.
- Pi Dental Center opened its doors in December 1986.
- Pi Dental Center was one of the first dental centers in the United States to place osseointegrated dental implants!
- Per-Ingvar Brånemark is known as the “father of modern dental implants.” Unquestionably, his discovery of the phenomenon of osseointegration* in 1952 and subsequent research has revolutionized the fields of dental, maxillofacial, and orthopedic rehabilitation.
- WHAT’S IN A NAME? Quite a bit of thought went into the naming of our center. Pi Dental Center is the shortened version of our official name, which is Prosthodontics Intermedica (PI). Friends and close associates of Dr. Brånemark, call him “PI.” To honor this great man, our practice incorporated his initials into our company’s name.
Intermedica represents our objective to collaborate with other dentists, medical specialists and specialties to provide the most state-of-the-art care for our patients.
- Dr. Balshi, founder of Pi Dental Center, received his surgical and prosthetic implant training from Per-Ingvar Brånemark and they later collaborated on many dental implant research projects.
- Pi Dental Center has had an ongoing relationship with Nobel Biocare’s worldwide product development and remains an integral part of global dental implant research.
- Per-Ingvar Brånemark came to Pi Dental Center in 1994. During his stay, he visited the clinical facility and also attended our annual “Festival of Formerly Forbidden Foods.”
- Pi Dental Center has placed and tracked over 24,000 dental implants.
- Pi Dental Center has conducted dental implant research, documented that research and published 140 journal articles.
- The prosthodontists at Pi Dental Center developed new dental implant technologies. These include Teeth In A Day®, the Conversion Prosthesis, and the No Bone Solution.
- Patients from every state in the U.S. and numerous countries have visited Pi Dental Center.
Dr. Wolfinger and Slauch are both board certified prosthodontists*.
- Pi Dental Center uses digital technology for crowns, dental implant restorations, dentures and night guards.
- Pi Dental Center uses 3D printing technology to fabricate occlusal guards.
- Pi Dental Center has 3 labs on site: a provisional lab, a porcelain lab and a full-service digital lab.
- Pi Dental Center’s most famous patient, Mario Andretti, filmed a commercial for our office in August 2006.
- The sixteen current employees at Pi Dental Center have over 271 years of combined service.
- Pi Dental Center has an oral medicine specialist on staff, who deals with the diagnosis and non-surgical management of medically related disorders and oral conditions affecting the oral and maxillofacial region. Dr. Robert Braun diagnoses and treats oral conditions that are not responsive to conventional dental, oral or maxillofacial surgical procedures. In addition, the specialty serves patients with severe, life-threatening medical disorders and complex diagnostic problems involving the oral and maxillofacial region requiring ongoing non-surgical management.
- Pi Dental Center is equipped to diagnose a wide range of dental and medical conditions. We have a low-radiation CT scanner on site. Our scans are reviewed by a board certified maxillofacial radiologist.
- The doctors at Pi Dental Center have been voted Philly Magazine Top Dentist for 7 years, appeared on television news stations and radio broadcasts.
* Osseointegration refers to a direct structural and functional connection between ordered, living bone and the surface of a load-carrying implant.
*Prosthodontists are specialists in the restoration and replacement of teeth. Prosthodontists treat complex dental and facial problems. They are highly trained in dental implants, crowns, bridges, dentures, jaw disorders, and more. Prosthodontics in an ADA recognized dental specialty.