Dental Implants

Dental Implants

A dental implant is placed into the bone where the tooth is missing, and acts like the root of the tooth. The bone grows up to and becomes a part of the implant so that they are rock-solid. Once the implant is solid, it can be restored. An excellent specialist will place the implant and when the implant is solid, it will be restored here.

Single missing tooth: A dental implant placed in the spot of a single missing tooth is restored by screwing an abutment piece into the implant and then placing a crown over the abutment. This restoration is nice in that it does not involve adjacent teeth and can be easily flossed. It also helps to maintain the bone level in the area of where the missing tooth was. These can be done both for front teeth as well as back teeth and the goal is to make them look completely natural.

Multiple missing teeth in one area: to replace a number of missing teeth on one area, rather than do all single implants in a row, sometimes an implant supported bridge is done instead (see “bridge” information). This can cut down on the cost, as less implants need to be placed.

Replacing an entire arch of teeth: Implants can be used either to support a denture so that it snaps in solidly or is screwed in such that it cannot be removed without a special tool. In addition, it is possible to place a number of implants such that individual porcelain crowns and bridges can be placed over these. There are a number of options for replacing a full arch of missing teeth and it is important to spend time figuring out which option would best serve the individual patient in their situation.