Dental Implants Specialist

What are dental implants?

Dental implants anchor restorations like crowns, bridges, and dentures in your mouth. An oral surgeon installs them in your jawbone and allows some time for them to heal. During the healing period, your jawbone bonds with the implant in a process called osseointegration.

Typically, dental implants are made of titanium. Titanium is common in medical devices because it’s biocompatible and unlikely to cause a reaction with your tissues. Titanium dental implants fill the space where an original tooth’s root was once located in your jawbone, therefore reinforcing your jawbone’s structure and providing a new sturdy base for a replacement tooth.

If you only need one tooth replaced, the team at ViVE Dental designs a custom crown to fit over the implant. You can replace several teeth with an implant-supported bridge or an entire arch with an implant-supported overdenture. Typically, implant-supported overdentures require four dental implants spaced evenly across your jaw for support.

Why should I consider dental implants?

Dental implants come with numerous benefits, making them a popular choice for people who lose teeth prematurely. Compared to traditional bridges and removable dentures, dental implants:

• Look and feel natural
• Don’t require dietary changes or considerations
• Are easier to maintain
• Don’t alter surrounding healthy teeth
• Prevent bone loss and strengthen your jawbone
  

Not everyone is an ideal candidate for dental implants, but the team at ViVE Dental can tell you whether you are after an examination and X-rays. They may recommend a bone graft or sinus lift surgery before you consider dental implants to add density to your jawbone.

How does dental implant installment work?

Each dental implant consists of three parts: the implant, an attachment called an abutment, and the restoration that fits onto the abutment. To place these, the team must first find out if you still have any remaining tooth or root. They remove the tooth or its root before starting the surgery.

During your first surgery, the team makes an incision in your gums and places the implant in the jawbone. Then, they close the incision and allow it to heal for several months. During a second appointment, the team attaches the abutment to the implant.

After some more healing time, the team makes impressions of the abutment and uses them to create a crown, bridge, or denture that fits onto it. After the restoration is created in a lab, your dentist can safely attach it to the abutment.

To find out more about dental implants and their benefits, call ViVE Dental for an appointment today or request an appointment online.