Because dental implants are permanent, unlike dentures, you don’t have to worry about taking them in and out or the risk of them falling out. Your teeth are in place just like your original teeth.

Missing or decayed teeth are not aesthetically pleasing. Often when patients are missing teeth, they are hesitant to smile or even speak. Dental implants will restore your smile, so you don’t have to hide your teeth anymore, restoring your self-esteem.

With dental implants, you can eat regularly again without worrying about how hard or crunchy your food is. When you are missing teeth or using dentures, what you can and cannot eat is constantly on your mind.

With dental implants, you can eat normally again.

Because dental implants function like regular teeth, you can continue your brushing and flossing routine, keeping your mouth, teeth, and gums healthy. This is difficult to do when you have dentures, which can be detrimental to your oral health.

Dental implants allow you to maintain the type of oral care routine to which you are accustomed.

These are the most common type of dental implants. Endosteal implants use a metal post, abutment, and crown.

The post is inserted into the jawbone, osseointegration allows the bone to adhere to the post, and then the abutment and crown are placed.

This type of dental implant relies on osseointegration to be successful.

Periosteal implants are not inserted into the jawbone. Instead, these implants are laid beneath the gums and soft tissue on top of the jawbone using a metal framework.

Rather than relying on osseointegration, periosteal implants absorb into the gum and soft tissue.

In addition to using different types of material for dental implants, periodontists can also use different techniques, depending on how many teeth need to be replaced and where those teeth are located. They can replace one tooth at a time or several at once.

Individual implants replace one tooth at a time and are ideal if you have only one missing tooth.

All On 4 dental implants are a more recent advancement in the area of dental implants.

Using a bridge prosthesis, the All On 4 dental implant technique can replace all 32 teeth with four implants per arch. This greatly reduces surgical time, recovery time, and expense, benefitting both patient and doctor.

The dental X-ray is the most common and most standard X-ray method for examining your teeth and jaw. You’ve probably had these X-rays taken at your twice-annual cleaning appointments with your dentist, and you will likely need them again as you go through the dental implant process.

Dental X-rays provide two different views of the mouth: periapical and panoramic. Periapical shows just one or two teeth at a time and the surrounding bone. This view is useful for determining the depth of the bone in your jaw and predicting the success of osseointegration.

The panoramic film shows all of the teeth in one view, along with the bones around the teeth and the jawbone. This view will reveal any problems in the bone, such as fractures or weakness, that could be detrimental to the success of the dental implants.

Sinus radiography captures an image of the sinuses. This image is critical because it allows the periodontist to avoid interfering with the sinus cavity in any way while placing the implants.

A CT scan, or computed tomography scan, uses X-ray technology to capture cross images of the body. For dental implants, a periodontist can use a CT scan to virtually place your dental implants before surgery or to identify the location of the sinuses and other important structures.

CT scans will also reveal any blood vessels, tumors, or infections.

A dental implant is a small post, often referred to as a screw that is surgically placed within your jawbone just under your gum line. The screw (or post) will fuse with your jawbone, creating a strong foundation for your tooth or smile makeover.

The intent of a dental implant post is to replace your tooth’s missing root. It not only fuses with your bone in your jaw, similar to a root, but it preserves and promotes your bone composition.

At the top of a dental implant post is the restorative tooth. Usually, it is a single dental crown replacing a tooth.

For those with several missing teeth, dental implants with a bridge can be used and can even secure dentures.

As a periodontist and a trained dental implant specialist, it has been my experience that dental implants can often last a lifetime with proper care.

My online Dental Implant Assessment is a free personalized analysis on helping you choose the right dental implant. I share how dental implants have a 98% success rate. For this reason, dental implants are widely recognized by prosthodontists worldwide as the #1 solution for permanently replacing missing teeth.

So which kind of dental implant is right for you?

A single tooth dental implant is often used to replace a single missing tooth. This implant only requires one post and one dental crown.

The Single Tooth Dental Implant Process

Step 1:

You will meet with me (Dr. Diana Sedler) to determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants. A good candidate is a person in good general health, who does not have diabetes, is not a heavy smoker, and has sufficient bone density to support a dental implant. If you are a good candidate, I will create a personalized treatment plan tailored to you.

Step 2:

A post (usually titanium) will be placed within your jawbone using surgical-guided technology. You will not experience any pain during this procedure. We will help you to be comfortable throughout the surgical process. The estimated healing time for your new post to fuse with your jawbone is generally three to four months.

Step 3:

If desired, a temporary dental crown is created while you are in the dental chair and placed with an abutment on the post.

Step 4:

Once your mouth has healed, your new custom-designed crown replaces the temporary tooth. Your new tooth will look and feel just like your surrounding teeth.

Unlike other tooth restorations, a single tooth dental implant replaces your entire missing tooth from root to crown.

If you have one missing tooth or multiple missing teeth that are not adjacent to each other, then a single tooth dental implant is likely your best option.

If, however, you have multiple missing teeth adjacent to each other, this is likely not the ideal solution.

When you have several missing teeth adjacent to each other, you may find the ideal option is an implant-supported bridge.

What is a dental bridge?

A dental bridge generally consists of two crowns on either side of your missing tooth gap with an artificial tooth held by those crowns in between.

Instead of having the dental crowns attach to teeth, an implant-supported bridge has crowns that connect to dental implants.

The process is very similar to a single tooth dental implant that I described above. However, the teeth missing in the middle of the gap will not receive a dental implant.

The main benefit of an implant-supported bridge is that we can securely replace multiple missing teeth in a row without the cost of replacing each tooth with an implant.

The downside is not all your teeth will receive an implant, and therefore you will have some bone resorption.

If you are missing all your teeth or most of your teeth in an arch, either upper teeth or lower teeth, then an implant-retained denture (All On 4 dental implants) is likely the ideal solution.

What are implant-retained dentures?

A denture is a fabricated arch of teeth that lies on your gum line. It provides you with the appearance of a full set of teeth.

Traditional dentures are known for various problems and issues that include falling out, slipping, clicking, and just not making it easy to eat or talk without complications.

A resolution to traditional dentures’ problems is an implant-retained denture used to permanently secure your denture with dental implants.