People are living longer than ever. While regular brushing, flossing, and checkups enable many of us to maintain our natural smiles for a lifetime, sometimes our teeth just can’t keep up. If you’ve lost a tooth (or several) due to injury or disease, dental implants can rejuvenate both your smile and your oral health.

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An implant is a synthetic tooth root in the shape of a post that is surgically placed into the jawbone. The “root” is usually made of titanium: the same material used in many replacement hips and knees, and a metal well suited to pairing with human bone.

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A replacement tooth is fixed to the post. The tooth can be either permanently attached or removable. Permanent teeth are more stable and feel more like natural teeth.

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The ideal candidate for implants is anyone who is missing teeth and looking for a permanent and stable solution. Even in patients with bone loss, there are many options to restore bone that allows for implant placement. Every case is different, and during your consult, your individual situation will be reviewed to create the best plan for you!

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Single or Multiple Implants

Implants are versatile. If you are missing

only one tooth, an implant plus a

replacement tooth will do the trick. If you

are missing several teeth in a row, a few

strategically placed implants can support

a permanent bridge (a set of replacement

teeth). If you have lost all your teeth, a full bridge or full denture can be permanently fixed in your mouth with a strategic number of implants.

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Advantages Over Dentures or Bridges

Conventional dentures are not fixed to the bone, and can therefore be unstable. This can make it difficult to eat or smile with confidence. Implants not only look more natural, but feel and act more like normal teeth, with a stronger biting force.

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And because they don’t directly rely on neighboring teeth for support, implants don’t compromise the health of your natural teeth. In fact, bridges are expected to last only seven to ten years, even less with root canals, whereas implants will typically last a lifetime.

 

Post-Treatment Care

Treat your replacement teeth the same as

natural teeth. They require the same daily

brushing and flossing, and the same

amount of regular checkups. Just like your

natural teeth, the better you take care of

your replacements, the longer they will last.

 

Implant Services

Our implant services include:

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• Sinus Lift Augmentation: Often the sinuses will  

enlarge following loss of the upper back teeth. This

can preclude placement of dental implants in the

upper back areas of the mouth, since the sinus is

an air-filled spaceand dental implants need to be

surrounded by solid bone. A sinus lift

augmentation/graft is a surgical procedure that restores the

sinus cavity to its original size, and replaces the bone that has

been lost as a result of the enlarged sinus. This new bone

graft typically requires nine to 12 months to heal before the

dental implants can be placed into the grafted bone.

• Autogenous Bone Grafting: Occasionally, the ideal areas for dental implants do not have sufficient bone quantity to support the implants. In these cases, it is often necessary to “borrow” bone from another area of your mouth and graft it into the deficient area. Often, the area of choice is the chin or the back of the jaw where your wisdom teeth used to be.

• Implant Site Development: When a tooth needs to be removed due to infection, it is not uncommon to have lost bone around the infected tooth. In these cases, various types of bone grafting can be done at the same time the tooth is removed to facilitate the placement of a dental implant at a later date.

• Computer-Enhanced Treatment Planning: We have special software on our computer that allows us to evaluate your dental CT scan in three dimensions for bone quality, bone quantity, and bone location. This enables the best possible placement of your dental implants. It also allows us to work closely and smoothly with your restorative dentist to ensure an ideal result where your dental implants are concerned.

• Implant Maintenance: Once your dental implant restoration is completed, it is essential to keep the area clean and infection-free. Dental implants can accumulate plaque and tartar just as teeth can. Whether you have just one tooth replaced by an implant or several, a professional cleaning schedule will be necessary to keep your implants healthy. The time interval for these professional cleanings will be determined by your individual needs.