When you must replace missing teeth, you want something that is going to look and feel as much like your natural teeth as possible. Dental implants represent the state-of-the-art in dental technology, making it possible to restore your smile to its natural state. Dental implants are the only solution that replaces the missing tooth while preserving and promoting healthy bone. If you prefer not to have a partial denture or bridge attached to adjacent teeth, you might consider a Dental Implant.
What Is a Dental Implant?
A dental implant is an excellent treatment for replacing missing teeth. A root form implant is the most common kind of dental implant. It is a small, titanium post that replaces the roots of a missing tooth. A custom-fitted artificial tooth, called a restoration, is secured to the implant, which holds the restoration firmly in place.
How Is An Implant Used?
An implant can support a variety of restorations, such as a single crown, multi-unit bridges, and full arch dentures. Some restorations, like a single crown and most bridges, are not removable. Others, like many full-arch dentures, can be removed for sleeping and cleaning.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Implants
Depending on the situation, placing an implant involves several phases, and treatment times can widely vary. First we determine if an implant is right for you. We discuss your health history and treatment goals and perform a comprehensive examination to check the health of your gums and jawbone. we determine if you need any additional procedures, such as bone grafting or gum surgery.
To begin the procedure, a channel is shaped in the jawbone, and then the implant is placed into the prepared space. At this point, it may be possible to place a temporary restoration. Over the course of the next few months, the implant will become securely fused to bone. The last step is to attach your beautiful final restoration to the implant.
Benefits of Implants
Dental implants transmit chewing forces to the jaw, stimulating it and halting the bone loss associated with missing teeth. Conventional treatment options do not offer this important benefit. Unlike conventional Crown and Bridge tooth replacement, dental implants do not require the grinding down of healthy teeth for abutments.
Implants restore the ability to chew properly, allowing a complete and healthy diet. Whether you are missing one tooth or all your teeth, there is most likely a dental implant treatment plan that can bring back your smile.
Dental Implants: Are They Right For You?
Remember the excitement of losing a tooth when you were six years old? Well, that excitement fizzled somewhere on the road to adulthood. Losing a tooth as an adult is hardly a cause for celebration.
But there is a silver lining to the lost-tooth storm cloud-dental implants. Made from titanium posts that attach directly to the jawbone and anchor a permanent artificial tooth, implants are becoming increasingly popular restorations to replace one or a few teeth. Record numbers of Americans are paying upwards of $2000 out-of-pocket per implant. In fact, over the last ten years the number of patients receiving dental implants has tripled, according to an American Dental Association survey.
Implants are lifelike and practically indistinguishable from natural teeth, and they fit so securely that you won’t even notice them when you chew and speak. In essence, they’re the next best thing to your natural teeth. And implant dentistry has advanced to the point that dentists can place implants with the same confidence and skills they’ve used in the past for crowns and bridges.
“Implants today are user- and patient-friendly,” said Scott D. Lingle, DDS. However, you still need to be sure that the dentist-or team of dentists-that you choose to place your implants has a good deal of experience and expertise in the procedure.
In many cases, one dentist places the implant and another makes and fits the replacement tooth. Both general dentists and specialists-oral and maxillofacial surgeons, prosthodontists or periodontists-can perform the procedure. But implant dentistry in itself is not an ADA-recognized specialty, so there is no uniform method for verifying a dentist’s training and experience. It’s up to you to screen any dental professionals you are considering.
How are implants placed?
Most implants are surgically placed directly into the jawbone. First, x-rays are taken to make sure there is adequate bone in the jaw to support the titanium cylinders. Then, models of your mouth are created so precise measurements can be made. Once the exact location of the implant has been pinpointed, it is surgically placed into the jawbone. This usually requires two procedures-one to place the titanium cylinders and another after the implants have healed completely to re-expose the cylinders and connect a post to the implant. The artificial tooth is then connected to the post.
Start-to-finish, the procedure can take between 3 – 4 months. The lengthy part is called osseointegration, which is the fusing of the implant to the bone tissue; this can take as long as three months.
Do implants work for everyone?
Even if you’re the most patient person in the world, implants won’t work for you if you aren’t in good general health. You also have to have healthy gums and enough bone in your jaws to support the implants, and you must be willing to be meticulous about regular dental visits and your dental hygiene. Implants also aren’t advised if you suffer from a chronic illness such as diabetes, as this can interfere with healing. And if you’re a smoker, you’re not a good candidate for implants; smokers are at greater risk for gum disease than non-smokers, and gum disease weakens the gum and bone tissue needed to support implants.
If you’re interested in implants to replace a missing or lost tooth, your dentist will perform a thorough evaluation to determine if your health and lifestyle are conducive to this type of restoration.
Eat, smile and talk with confidence and comfort
People are living longer and healthier lives, and because more people are recognizing the benefits of preventive care, more people are keeping most of their teeth for a lifetime. But sometimes, despite the best of efforts, a tooth is lost. “As we age, we don’t do many of the things we did when we were younger,” Lingle said. “But the three things everyone wants to do throughout their lifetimes are eat, smile and talk. Implants can help patients do all three, and they appear very natural,” he said. “Looking good has no age limit.”
A Single-Tooth Implant: The Procedure
Restoring the mouth with a dental implant is accomplished in two phases. The first phase is the surgical placement of the implant. It is left under the gums for several months so the bone can attach to it. After healing, the second phase begins; the implant is re-exposed, and the new crown is made.
For the surgical placement of the implant, you will be given nitrous oxide or intravenous sedation to relax you. Then your mouth is numbed.
An incision is made in the gums and a hole is made in the bone to receive the implant. After the implant is snugly in place, the gums are closed over the implant with a stitch or two. Over the course of the next few months, the implant attaches securely to the bone.
The second phase starts with surgical exposure of the implant. Another incision is made in the gums and a small extension is placed to raise it above the gum line. Your dentist will then begin a series of appointments to create your new crown.
Though some of the steps might be different in your case, they usually include making impressions of your mouth. From these impressions, your dentist will make precise working models of your mouth, which are carefully mounted for proper alignment. The last step is the placement of the new crown.
The success of the implant depends on the care you provide at home, and the support you receive through regular checkups and cleanings.
A Two-Implant Bridge
Restoring the mouth with implants and a dental bridge is accomplished in two phases. The first phase is the surgical placement of the implants. They’re left under the gums for several months while the bone attaches to them. After healing, the second phase begins. The implants are re-exposed and the new teeth are made.
For the surgical placement of the implant, you’ll be given nitrous oxide or intravenous sedation to relax you. Then your mouth is numbed.
An incision is made in the gums, and a hole is made in the bone to receive the implant. After the implant is snugly in place, the gums are closed over the implant with a stitch or two. Over the course of the next few months, the implant attaches securely to the bone.
The second phase starts with surgical exposure of the implant. Another incision is made in your gums and a small extension is placed to raise it above the gum line.
Though some of the steps might be different in your case, they usually include making impressions of your mouth. Your dentist then begins a series of appointments to create your new teeth.
From the impressions, your dentist will make precise working models of your mouth, which are carefully mounted for proper alignment. The last step is the placement of the bridge.
The ultimate success of the implants depends on the care you provide at home, and the support you receive through regular checkups and cleanings.
A Lower-Jaw Implant
Restoring your lower jaw with dental implants is accomplished in two phases. The first phase is the surgical placement of the implants. They’re left under the gums for several months while the bone attaches to them. After healing, the second phase begins. The implants are re-exposed and the new teeth are made.
For the surgical placement of the implant, you’ll be given nitrous oxide or intravenous sedation to relax you. Then your mouth is numbed.
An incision is made in the gums and a hole is made in the bone to receive the implant. After the implant is snugly in place, the gums are closed over the implant with a stitch or two. Over the course of the next few months, the implant attaches securely to the bone.
The second phase starts with surgical exposure of the implant. Another incision is made in your gums, and a small extension is placed to raise it above the gum line.
We will then start a series of appointments to create your new teeth. Though some of the steps might be different in your case, they usually include making impressions of your mouth. From these impressions, your dentist makes precise working models of your mouth, which are carefully mounted for proper alignment. The last step is the placement of the teeth.
The ultimate success of implants depends on the care you provide at home, and the support they receive through regular checkups and cleanings.