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Implant Education


  "Because informative decisions begin with education"


Dental Implants - the tooth replacement solution            

 

Are missing teeth causing you to miss out on life?

Missing teeth and loose dentures make too many people sit on the sidelines and let life pass them by. However, today’s modern treatment plans can replace everything from a single missing tooth to a completely missing arch. Ask your dental specialist about the different dental implant options that are available to you. Don’t let another day go by without taking this important first step to restoring your confidence and your smile!

    

 

   Stop the bone loss that can lead to premature aging.

 

Losing one or more of your teeth starts a chain of events that can have dire physical and cosmetic consequences. The most obvious result is a gap in your smile. Less obvious is the loss of chewing function and the inability to eat a complete diet that can result from tooth loss. While these are certainly serious issues, a potentially bigger problem lies hidden beneath the surface: bone loss.

 

Your jawbone needs the chewing action of the teeth to stimulate it and keep it strong. Otherwise it will begin to disappear (atrophy) in the same manner that the unused muscles beneath a cast supporting a broken bone get smaller. Without the support of your teeth and facial bones, your face will begin to look prematurely aged. The good news is that tooth replacement with dental implants offers a solution to help prevent bone loss.

Facial appearance with healthy teeth and bonesAppearance after

tooth lossAppearance after tooth and bone loss

 

Tooth replacement options

 

                                  Natural Tooth          Implant Crown

 

Traditional treatment options for tooth replacement, Crown & Bridge and full or Facial appearance with healthy teeth and bonesAppearance after

tooth lossAppearance after tooth and bone losspartial dentures, address the short-term cosmetic problem of missing teeth, but do nothing to stop bone loss. Crown & Bridge also requires that two or more healthy teeth be ground down to serve as abutments (posts) for a bridge, leaving them at a much greater risk for cavities and endodontic failure. If the original abutment teeth fail, more healthy teeth must be sacrificed to serve as posts, while you continue to lose bone beneath the bridge.

 

With implants, however, the healthy teeth are left alone. Dental implants, like natural teeth, also transmit chewing forces to the jawbone, which reduces bone loss. This is why many leading dental organizations now recognize dental implants as the standard of care for tooth replacement.

Untreated Missing ToothTraditional Crown & BridgeImplant with a crown

 

Implant-stabilized denture

If all your lower teeth are missing, two to four implants may be used to stabilize a lower denture.

The implants are positioned just below the gum tissue and given time to fuse with the bone. Temporary abutments may be placed on the implants until the healing phase is complete. Your existing denture may be modified so that it can be worn without disturbing the implants during the healing process.

Dental implants can provide stability to your existing loose denture.

After healing, ball-top posts are attached to the implants. Your old denture may be modified to hold clips that snap over the ball-tops, or a new denture with clips will be made.

The denture is snapped into place, where it is retained by the implants and supported by the soft tissue. You simply snap the denture out each night for cleaning.