dental implants

‍

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are a restoration method for missing teeth. They’re a permanent solution, as opposed to dentures that you remove every day for cleaning. Dental implants are natural-looking.

A dental implant has a metal post secured to your jaw, which replaces your tooth’s root system. A replacement tooth screws onto the post.

‍

What is the procedure for dental implants?

Dental implants require several steps. These include:

Assessment

First, an assessment verifies that you have a healthy jawbone and gums. If you have tooth decay or periodontal disease (gum disease), you’ll need treatment prior to getting dental implants.

Impressions

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans produce the most precise information for placing an implant. After a digital scan, a leading dental laboratory uses these impressions to produce a new synthetic tooth that matches the missing tooth while blending in alongside your natural teeth.

Implantation

During oral surgery, your dentist places a metal post under your gums and into your jaw. You’ll receive anesthesia, so it’s a painless process.

Healing

Over a few months, your jaw and the metal post fuse in a process called osseointegration. That ensures that your implant won’t shift or loosen.

Tooth placement

After osseointegration, you get your new custom-made tooth. It secures to the post at the gum line to look and feel just like a natural tooth.

The whole process generally takes a few months, at the end of which you have a strong, beautiful, and permanent new tooth that’s indistinguishable from your other teeth.

‍

Do I need a dental implant for every missing tooth?

No, not necessarily. If you’re missing all the teeth in an arch — either all your upper or all your lower teeth — the All-on-4® implant system can be a good alternative to individual implants.

With All-on-4, the team places four implants in your arch. Those implants support a whole row of synthetic teeth.

All-on-4 is less expensive than full-mouth dental implants, and it’s also faster. In many cases, you can get All-on-4 in just one appointment at Judy Mejido DMD PA.

Judy Mejido DMD PA offers single tooth replacement, arch replacement, and full-mouth rehabilitation according to your needs. Set your appointment up by phone or through the online scheduler today.