Dental Implants

So, You Need a Dental Implant . . . .

“We will need to take out this tooth.”

Few statements said in our office, or probably any other, are as shocking or seemingly life altering to our patients than this one. We have had grown men and women break down in tears after hearing this proclamation.

Especially if that tooth happens to be a front tooth.

On the other hand, there are very few things that we do that compare to the positive life change that a permanent tooth replacement offers.

Dental implants have become a very popular and predictable way to replace one or more missing teeth. When done correctly they are a relatively simple, painless way to replace teeth. Their use has ballooned over the years into multiple areas. My goal with this post is to address how they can be used to replace teeth with a fixed restoration (i.e. a crown or a bridge) and the advantages of doing so.

When a crown or a bridge is placed on an implant it offers several advantages to other tooth replacement options:

1. Appearance - Because an implant is placed in the bone, the crown that is placed on the implant appears to be growing out of the gums just like a natural tooth. This contributes to a natural look and, consequently, confidence in the appearance of one’s smile.

2. Hygiene - As opposed to other tooth replacement options implant hygiene and maintenance is very simple. Just brush and floss around the implant like you would around a natural tooth.

3. Preservation of Facial Structures - When an implant is placed and properly maintained, the hard and soft tissues around it are stimulated and maintained for the life of the implant. Without an implant these tissues generally melt away over time causing unaesthetic boney contours in the front of the mouth and decreased bone support.

4. Function - When a tooth is missing from someone's mouth one or more things can result:

๏ Supraeruption – This is when a tooth has no other tooth to bite against and it continues to grow until it meets something (the opposing gums? Another tooth?) to stop its growth. This can cause both an unsightly tooth smile line (crooked teeth) &/or problems with biting patterns leading to excessive tooth wear and potential TMJ problems. An implant will hold the opposing teeth in place so this doesn't happen ;

๏ Tipping -- The teeth in front of or behind the empty site can tip forward or backward into the empty site. Along with crooked teeth this can cause problems with biting patterns and the gums. An implant will hold adjacent teeth upright and help avoid these problems ;

๏ Improper Chewing & Digestion – Missing teeth compromise your ability to chew food well, to digest it, and consequently your overall nutritional health. An implant functions just like a natural tooth and restores effective chewing.

Once an implant is placed in the bone and the bone has fused to the implant a crown is fastened to the implant. The implant essentially becomes the “root” of the new tooth.

Please see the Patient Education Pamphlet from Zimmer Dental linked below for more helpful explanations and pictures.

If you have any of those empty spaces in your mouth, or need to have a tooth removed, and would like to consider having one or more implant(s) placed to replace it/them please know that we are very familiar with implants and have been working with them for more than ten years. We would be happy to help guide you through the entire implant process. Please give us a call to set-up an implant consultation to see if implants are right for you.

We hope to see you soon!