Implants

When you visit the dentist to get a missing tooth restored, a dental implant would ideally be their first recommendation. Implants offer various impressive advantages over their alternatives, making them the go-to solution for replacing missing teeth. They are made from metal and ceramic, which restore the tooth root and crown, respectively. Together, implants replace a tooth in its entirety.

Drawbacks of missing teeth

• When a tooth is removed from the mouth, it will leave quite an apparent gap in your smile. This can lead to frequent embarrassment and make you feel too conscious of your facial appearance when you smile.
• The way you bite and chew food changes. In fact, chewing food with a missing tooth could apply a lot of unwanted stress on the teeth adjoining the gap.
• The underlying jawbone could shrink or deteriorate when a tooth is extracted. Over time, it can lead to a change in facial shape and loosening of the teeth from their sockets.
• The adjoining teeth could drift from their orthodontically right positions and move towards the gap. It can lead to malocclusion.
• The pronunciation of some words will change due to the extraction of a frontal tooth.

How do implants resolve these issues?

• Since the implant is placed directly in the jawbone, it would replace the tooth root as well. This fills the gap in the jawbone, thereby keeping the adjoining teeth from drifting.
• Since the implant stud has screw-like grooves on its surface, the jawbone would be held intact. This prevents bone deterioration.
• The implant would allow you to bite and chew food without hassle as it offers excellent strength and stability. You wouldn't have to worry about the implant sustaining damage or loosening when you have food.
• The dental-grade ceramic used to make the implant crown offers excellent durability and aesthetics. It would stay as good as new for several years, provided you practice healthy oral habits and avoid biting or chewing hard objects.
• The color and contour of the ceramic crown can be customized to match the adjoining teeth perfectly. This keeps it under disguise.

How are implants placed?

The dentist will run a few tests, take x-rays, and digital scans to thoroughly diagnose your condition. A few factors are considered before determining your candidacy, such as jawbone health, volume, spacing available, overall health condition, presence of gum diseases or cavities, etc. The data from the scans are used to fabricate a ceramic crown.

During the first surgery, we will administer local sedatives and make a small hole in the jawbone. The implant will be placed in it and secured firmly using dental cement. A healing period of a few months will be recommended to allow the bone to fuse with the implant stud. During the next surgery, the connecting abutment will be placed on the implant, and the crown will be fixed to it. Bite tests will be taken to make sure the implant doesn't affect your natural bite. Once it is firmly fixed using dental adhesives, we will polish the crown to give it a natural appearance.

Please get in touch with us through online consultation or by calling us at 407-647-3223, and we'll guide you further.