Implants

When it comes to replacing one or more teeth in your mouth, a dental implant is often the treatment of choice and is also one of the most conservative treatments for tooth replacement. Implants are biocompatible posts that replace the roots of your missing teeth. They are physically and biologically designed to attach to your jaw bone and become the foundation for a natural looking restoration. Your new tooth or teeth will have excellent stability and strength, and will look and feel like your natural teeth.

Implants are prescribed to replace a missing tooth or teeth. An implant post is placed where the tooth is missing. A customized crown or bridge is permanently cemented to the implant. Implants restore the natural beauty, function, and health of teeth.

Why Are Dental Implants Helpful? The loss of even one tooth can seriously impact both the function of your bite and your confidence in your appearance. Adjacent teeth can be compromised by the gap left by a missing tooth, shifting position or becoming more vulnerable to chips and cracking.

Dental implants offer a permanent and proven solution to missing teeth. The implant process involves attaching a custom-made, artificial tooth to an anchor post surgically implanted in the jawbone. This post integrates into the bone, providing a firm anchor on which natural-looking, custom-made restorations can be placed.

Dental implants can be used to:
• Replace a missing tooth or teeth
• Support dental bridges
• Secure dentures (either removable or full and fixed)

How successful are dental implants?

Dental implants are designed to be permanent. Long-term clinical success rates are well over 95%

Is the surgical procedure painful?

Most patients report that the discomfort is far less than they expected and is much like having a regular tooth extracted. And although every patient is different with regard to pain, most patients are made very comfortable with minimal pain medication.

What is the procedure like?

It is usually done in 2 steps:

The implant is placed in the jaw. You will have a few sutures in your gum tissue to help the area heal and the implant to stabilize in the jaw.
After 3-4 months, we place a post into the implant. You will have to wear temporary teeth (or dentures) until we make your artificial teeth shortly after.

Does age make a difference?

Not really. Although implants were originally designed for aging patients, they are used today even in teenagers with sports injuries or congenitally missing teeth.