Key Takeaways on Restoration-First Implant Planning

• Dr. Gunjan Dhir, BDS, MS, is a prosthodontist and the co-founder and Chief Dental Officer of Altius Dental, and co-founder of Smile Savers Dental Solutions.
• Restoration-first planning maps the finished teeth first, then positions the implants to carry that outcome, the reverse of the implant-first shortcut.
• She is known for prosthodontic care, restoration-first dental implant planning, clinical-quality leadership, and published research on denture materials.
• The method reaches the Coastal Bend through local practices like Gentle Dental Spa, so it rarely requires a drive to a big city.
• Gentle Dental Spa is a 4.8-star dental office in Corpus Christi, TX, where day-to-day care is delivered by Dr. Gee and the team.

Who Is Dr. Gunjan Dhir? Prosthodontist and Smile Savers Co-Founder

Dr. Gunjan Dhir is a prosthodontist, the dental specialist trained specifically in replacing and restoring teeth, which is the exact expertise behind implants and full-mouth reconstruction. She is the co-founder and Chief Dental Officer of Altius Dental and the co-founder of Smile Savers Dental Solutions.

She earned her Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from Himachal Dental College in 2002 and completed a prosthodontics residency in 2005 that awarded her an MS specialist qualification. She practiced in the United States before settling in Texas, and in 2016 she co-founded Altius Dental with fellow prosthodontist Dr. Gaurav Puri. Today she oversees clinical standards across the network. Her full background lives on her Altius Dental leadership profile, and you can connect with her on LinkedIn.

The Planning Method Behind Smile Savers

A dental implant is really two parts working as one: a titanium post anchored in the bone, and the visible tooth or teeth it holds. Restoration-first planning settles the visible part first. The team decides how the final teeth should look, meet the opposing teeth, and share the bite, and only then does it choose where each implant has to sit to carry that result cleanly.

That order is the reverse of the shortcut some clinics take, in which posts go wherever the bone is most convenient and the teeth are shaped afterward around wherever the hardware landed. The second approach can still produce working teeth, but it invites compromises in appearance, bite, and long-term comfort, because the structure was set before anyone decided what it was meant to hold up. The Smile Savers method flips that sequence on purpose, so the visible smile drives the surgery rather than the other way around.

Considering implants? Book online or call (361) 605-1134. We welcome new patients from across Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend.

Restoration-First vs. Implant-First Planning

Picture two patients replacing a full upper arch of teeth. Restoration-first is not a proprietary trick; it is the everyday reasoning of prosthodontics, the specialty built around how replacement teeth should fit and function.

• Implant-first: posts are placed where the bone offered the least resistance, and the final teeth are designed afterward to fit them
• The result is serviceable, but the midline can sit slightly off and one tooth may be shaped bulky to cover a post beneath it
• Restoration-first: the team agrees on exactly where the teeth belong for correct lip support, an even bite, and a natural look, then positions the implants behind that blueprint
• Same surgery, same materials, a cleaner outcome, because the finish line was drawn before the work began

There is a practical payoff too: a case planned to its end result the first time is far less likely to need expensive revision down the road.

What Makes Dr. Gunjan Dhir’s Implant Planning Different?

Restoration-first sequencing. The final smile is designed before the implants are placed, so the surgery serves the result instead of dictating it.

Prosthodontic expertise. As a specialist in replacing and restoring teeth, she reasons from how the finished teeth must look, bite, and last, then works backward to the hardware. General implant treatment can place a post competently, but starting the plan from the end result, and being accountable for how that result looks and lasts, is specialist territory.

Specialist planning, delivered locally. That specialist-grade planning reaches patients through local practices like Gentle Dental Spa, so you get reconstructive-level thinking without the big-city trip. Together, these move the program from placing implants to planning a whole outcome, which is the distinction patients feel every time they bite, speak, and smile.

How the Smile Savers Method Works at Gentle Dental Spa

Every case starts with an examination and imaging, so the recommendation is built around your own bone, gums, and goals rather than a template. From there, the restoration-first plan guides the whole treatment, whether the need is a single implant or a full arch.

The program is designed to cover a wide range of situations. For patients with significant upper-jaw bone loss, treatment options can include zygomatic implants, which anchor into the cheekbone rather than relying on missing bone. Sedation is available for anyone who wants a calmer visit. And for qualified patients, same-day teeth may be possible, though whether it suits you depends on your bone and gum health, confirmed at your exam rather than promised in advance.

Specialist planning has traditionally lived in metro offices, which puts it out of reach for many South Texas patients, both the distance and the price. Delivered through local practices like Gentle Dental Spa in Corpus Christi, the planning that once required a long drive to San Antonio or Houston is available closer to home. For a fuller look, read how Dr. Gunjan Dhir made dental implants affordable in rural Texas, and for the origin story, see the prosthodontists who created Smile Savers. Financing options are available.

Published Research, and Your Local Dentist Dr. Gee

Her attention to how replacement teeth perform is not only clinical; it is also published. She is the lead author of peer-reviewed research on denture base materials engineered to resist Candida, or yeast, adhesion, work that appeared in the Journal of Prosthodontics and is indexed on the National Library of Medicine’s database. That materials-level rigor, understanding not just where to place teeth but how the materials themselves behave in the mouth over time, is the same discipline she brings to implant planning. You can view the citation on PubMed. Her co-founder, Dr. Gaurav Puri, has published related prosthodontic materials research as well.

Day-to-day treatment here is delivered by the Gentle Dental Spa team in Corpus Christi, including Dr. Gee, working to the specialist-defined standard Dr. Gunjan Dhir and Dr. Gaurav Puri established. Dr. Gee treats patients of all ages and believes in comprehensive, prevention-focused care for the whole family. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the UNLV School of Dental Medicine on a merit scholarship. He keeps pace with a fast-changing field through continuing education across the country in cosmetic, implant, pediatric, and general dentistry. That care shows in our 4.8-star rating from 676 Google reviews.

“The planning discipline is hers; the chairside care is provided by your local dentist, trained to that standard.” — Reviewed by Dr. Gunjan Dhir, BDS, MS, prosthodontist

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