Dental Implants

Immediate Implants

The trauma of losing a tooth, especially a front tooth, can be greatly reduced when patients know that they can have an immediate dental implant procedure that replaces the tooth the same day it is removed.

The first step is to remove the tooth that preserves the bone and gum tissue. This facilitates the ideal aesthetic and functional result. When the tooth is removed, the socket serves as a natural opening for the immediate placement of the dental implant. Bone grafting material is placed around the implant, filling in the socket completely to maintain natural contours. A temporary crown is then placed to complete the procedure.

Replacing teeth with dental implants using traditional methods can take a number of months and involved multiple surgical procedures. Dental implants placed during the same procedure as tooth removal can be restored with the final crowns in as little as several weeks.

How Do Implants Work?

To begin the implant process, a metal post is surgically positioned into the jaw. This post will act as a permanent “root” for the implanted tooth. Once it is in place, the surrounding bone and tissue needs time to heal. During this healing period, the implant will fuse to the bone surrounding it, providing better strength and stability. In a few months healing will be complete and the implant restoration will be topped with a replacement crown that will look, act and feel like a natural tooth.

Benefits of Dental implants

Dental implants provide a number of superior benefits, some of which include:

Look, act and feel like your own teeth
Preserve youthful facial appearance
Improve functionality—both eating and speaking
Minimize oral bone loss
Reduce compromise to adjacent healthy teeth
Eliminate the discomfort of removable dentures and partials
Improve oral health and hygiene

Types of Implants

Dental implants can replace missing teeth in a number of different ways. We offer multiple types of dental implants to meet the needs of our patients:

Single tooth replacement – used for replacing one or a few teeth
Multiple tooth replacement – recommended for people who have several damaged teeth in a consecutive row, regardless of their position
Replace all teeth permanently – a comprehensive rehabilitation therapy and process that involves not only teeth but treatment of the entire mouth
Support removable dentures – dentures that are attached to implants in the jaw but can be removed for cleaning

Are you a candidate for dental implants?

Implants require healthy gums and adequate bone in the jaw for support. In order to be an ideal candidate for implant dentistry, you must have healthy gum tissues that are free of periodontal disease, as well as be committed to excellent oral hygiene and regular dental visits, as these are critical to the long-term success of dental implants.

Sinus Lift

A sinus lift, or sinus augmentation, is an oral surgery performed when there is an inadequate amount of bone height in the upper jaw for dental implants to be placed. A sinus lift adds bone between the jaw and the maxillary sinuses, which are on either side of your nose. In order for there to be enough room for the bone, the sinus membrane is lifted upward. This surgery is performed by either an oral and maxillofacial surgeon or a periodontist.

Sinus lifts are often performed for the following reasons:

Loss of teeth resulting in not enough bone for implants to be placed
Bone loss due to periodontal disease
The maxillary sinus may be too close to the upper jaw for implants to be placed

Ridge Augmentation

Ridge augmentation is the use of bone grafting to strengthen the gum tissue and bone in a jaw that has collapsed due to tooth loss, infection or disease. Rebuilding the bone and tissue makes it possible to support aesthetic restorations and rebuild a natural, beautiful smile.

Care and Maintenance

While implants are an advanced, long-lasting solution for tooth replacement, like with any dental procedure, it is important to be careful and have good oral hygiene in order to maintain lasting results. There are only two ways an implant can lose attachment to the bone and fail once it has successfully fused: poor oral hygiene or excessive biting forces. Poor oral hygiene and/or a lack of regular cleanings can lead to a destructive bacterial infection called peri-implantitis. Flossing and brushing your teeth on a daily basis, along with regular professional cleanings, can prevent this. Excessive biting forces can come from either a habit of clenching or grinding your teeth, or an insufficient number of implants to handle the forces generated by your bite. You should receive the correct number of implants so this does not happen. And if you have a habit of grinding or clenching your teeth, a night guard will be recommended to protect your implants. After all, implants are a long-term investment in your smile, your health and your well-being, so it’s best to protect your investment.

Guided Dental Implants

In order to provide the most accurate, high-quality implant placement, we use guided dental implant technology during implant placement procedures. The process begins with using a cone beam CT scanner to take a 3D digital image of your mouth. This 3D model will then be used along with specialized software to virtually place the implants. We will be able to get a detailed understanding of your jaw and mouth structure so we can adjust the implants to a perfect fit. With this new digital implant model, we will then have your implant fabricated in a lab. Once the implant is ready, you will come in for implant placement. During surgery, you will wear the implant guide so we can accurately place the implant in your mouth.

Benefits of Implants vs Dentures:

Today, more people are choosing dental implants as a solution for smile restoration. With benefits like improved comfort, enhanced chewing ability and better overall dental health, the advantages of dental implants run much deeper than their cosmetic appeal.

Implants preserve the jawbone while dentures decrease jawbone quality
Implants feel normal and function naturally while dentures can often feel fake and function unnaturally
Implants are a long-lasting, permanent solution while dentures are removable and often need replacement
Implants are cleaned and cared for like normal teeth while dentures need to be removed for regular cleaning
Implants are secured in place while dentures can slip and likely require adhesives to stay in place
Implants allow you to eat and drink normally while dentures can restrict food options • Implants are a lifetime investment while dentures may need repeated treatments/costs

Benefits of Implants vs Bridges:

Implants do not affect the structure of adjacent teeth while bridges require the enamel of the adjacent teeth to be removed
Implants do not decay while bridges are susceptible to tooth decay
Implants are less likely to develop gum disease while bridges are more likely to develop gum disease
Implants are a long-lasting, permanent solution while bridges have a shorter lifespan than implants

Peri-Implantitis

Peri-Implantitis- is the destructive inflammatory process affecting the soft and hard tissues surrounding dental implants. The array of periodontal pathogens found around failing implants are very similar to those found in association with various forms of periodontal disease.

Treatment of Peri-Implantitis- Many methods of treating Peri-Implantitis have been documented and most focus on the removal of the contaminating agent from the implant surface. These treatments include: administration of systemic antibiotics, mechanical debridement with or without systemic antibiotic, mechanical debridement combined with laser bacteria reduction, surgical debridement, surgical debridement with guided bone regeneration for reparation of bony and soft tissue defects.