A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Dental implants may be an option for people who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason.
Benefits of Dental Implants
replacement for teeth that have been lost. They can match the color of the natural teeth
and they do not have the metal hooks that are used to keep dentures in place.
dentures and the bonded teeth, it is also possible to break, fracture or otherwise damage
the surrounding teeth. Dental implants will not damage the neighboring teeth any more
than natural teeth would.
a 98% success rate for dental implants and even after 10 years in place, there is a 95%
success rate for the implants. Dental bonding will last a year or two and dentures start to
lose their ability to work properly within 5 years.
teeth. They will not cause the bone to erode over time. Dentures give a person only half the bite strength of natural teeth and they lose that strength over time.
Types of Dental Implants
Implant-supported Crowns
Patients have two choices when it comes to replacing a single missing tooth. The conventional treatment is a dental bridge. This type of tooth replacement is supported by crowning the teeth on either side of the gap, which means that the teeth must be ground down. The bridge is then cemented in place. However, we can use a single implant instead to support a single dental crown to replace the tooth. An implant-supported crown is a more permanent solution that doesn’t require reducing natural teeth. The crown may or may not be placed at the same time as dental implant surgery, depending on the individual case.
Implant-supported Bridges
This type of restoration is used when multiple teeth are missing in a row. Since two dental implants can support a three-unit bridge, it allows us to use fewer implants in lieu of placing one implant for each missing tooth. Sometimes we may recommend an implant-supported bridge instead of individual implants if the patient tends to clench or grind their teeth, because it spreads the pressure across the bridge. Compared to a traditional bridge, an implant-supported bridge is a much more stable, long-lasting solution.
Implant-supported Dentures
Although traditional dentures can be a good solution, many patients find them unstable and uncomfortable. For this reason, a significant number of patients who have dentures do not even wear them. Fortunately, we can now fit patients with implant-supported dentures for complete stabilization. Instead of resting on the gums, your dentures will be attached to dental implants that are fused with your jaw. Once treatment is complete, you can experience unprecedented comfort and function, as well as improved aesthetics.
All-on-4 Technique
This treatment was developed to allow more candidates to receive implant-supported dentures. The technique allows a full arch of replacement teeth to be supported by just four to six dental implants that are placed at optimal angles. All-on-4 allows patients to have replacement teeth affixed at the same time as their dental implant surgery instead of waiting for months for the bone to heal. It is also a more cost-effective solution, since fewer implants are needed, and additional bone grafting procedures are not required.