Dental Implants
Traditional Implants
Tooth loss can occur for many reasons, and the number one cause is periodontal disease. But you may also lose a tooth to a sports injury or other accident where your tooth fractures below the gum line. Regardless of the reason for your tooth loss, your priority is to learn about replacement options. At Dental Centers, we offer dental implants, a state-of-the-art solution for missing teeth.
What Is a Dental Implant?
Dental implants are unique because they are as close to the structure and appearance of a natural tooth as possible. Unlike a bridge or denture, a dental implant replaces the entire tooth, including the root. There are three parts to a dental implant – a titanium implant post, a connector piece called an abutment, and the implant restoration (Crown).
What Is a Dental Implant Procedure?
Dental implant surgery is a procedure that replaces tooth roots with metal, screwlike posts and replaces damaged or missing teeth with artificial teeth that look and function much like real ones.
How dental implant surgery is performed depends on the type of implant and the condition of your jawbone. Dental implant surgery may involve several procedures. The major benefit of implants is solid support for your new teeth — a process that requires the bone to heal tightly around the implant. Because this bone healing requires time, the process can take a few months to a year to complete.
Advantages of Dental Implants
• Dental Implants have been accepted by dental professionals for over 40 years, as a successful and trusted method of tooth replacement.
• Act like your natural tooth root, you do not feel the difference.
• Are made of biocompatible materials. As a result, they are more likely to be accepted by your body but your body can reject them.
• Your implant can last a lifetime with proper care and good oral hygiene.
• Implants are minimally invasive. Your adjacent healthy teeth are untouched. Unlike conventional bridges, there is no need to grind down adjacent natural teeth.
• Maintains natural bone and minimize further bone loss due to bone stimulation- one of the most important advantages.
• Provides stability and comfort, with little to no adjustment necessary after placement.
What Is the Purpose of a Dental Implant Procedure?
A dental implant can replace one or more permanent teeth lost to an injury, gum disease, tooth decay, or infection. When you talk with your dentist at the initial consultation, they may discuss other options for replacing the teeth as well. These may include dentures and bridges.
They’ll discuss with you whether you have enough space and bone around the missing tooth for the procedure.
If your tooth has been missing for a while, you may have bone loss. This may require a bone graft before you will be able to proceed with dental implant surgery.
Why it's done.
Denture wearers commonly complain of discomfort and instability, but dental implants solve these typical problems. When it comes to restoring function, a removable denture only returns about 10 percent of your chewing ability while a dental implant restores about 90 percent. You can also be confident knowing that your new, stable dentures are designed to look natural and enhance your appearance.
Dental implants are surgically placed in your jawbone, where they serve as the roots of missing teeth. Because the titanium in the implant fuses with your jawbone, the implants won't slip, make noise, or cause bone loss the way fixed bridgework or dentures might.
In general, dental implants may be right for you if you:
• Have one or more missing teeth.
• Have a jawbone that's reached full growth.
• Have adequate bone to secure the implants or can have a bone graft.
• Have healthy oral tissues.
• Don't have health conditions that will affect bone healing.
• Are unable or unwilling to wear dentures.
• Want to improve speech.
• Are willing to commit several months to the process.
• Don't smoke tobacco.
Dental implants are considered the gold standard for tooth replacement. While they may seem like a recent innovation, implants have been around for over 40 years and have an impressive 98 percent success rate.
Would you like to learn if dental implants are the best solution for you? Please call us at the Dental Centers, Dr. Collins will be able to provide an informative and convenient consultation. We would love to meet with you to discuss the benefits of replacing your teeth with dental implants!
Mini Implants
Imagine this...Eating comfortably, having pleasant conversation, laughing and smiling with confidence. Your denture feels secure and is being held firmly in place. Dental implant therapy has been one of the most significant advances in dentistry in the past 25 years. Tens of thousands of patients are enjoying the benefits from replacing lost teeth, helping to restore their smile and confidence.
Dental implants provide a secure anchor for artificial teeth and offer a superior alternative to other tooth replacement methods.
Mini implants are about half the size of regular dental implants – can still be effective in some cases and come with additional benefits. Mini implants can also be used when standard implant treatment isn’t possible. Mini dental implants (MDIs) have a tiny diameter of about 2.5 millimeters – equivalent to that of a toothpick. They can also be referred to as a small diameter implant (SDI) or narrow diameter implant (NDI). Conventional implants have two parts. A mini-implant is a solid, one-piece unit that combines the base with an abutment onto which artificial teeth can be placed.
How Mini-Implants Are Used
Not everyone is a good candidate for regular dental implant treatment.
For example, you may have a chronic medical condition, or smoke heavily, or have undergone radiation treatment to the neck or head. Oral issues such as gum disease or crooked teeth may also preclude routine dental implant placement. In situations like these, mini-implants provide a solution that allows you to get the benefits of implant treatment.
• Mini implants are used to used to secure dentures in place.
• Like conventional dental implants, mini-implants are titanium screws that are inserted into the bone of an endentulous patient.
• Unlike standard implants, you don’t need a separate attachment to be fitted onto the implant base.
Mini-Implants to Support Dentures
Mini-implants make dentures more secure. This avoids the problems associated with loose-fitting dentures, which may fall out or slip around and irritate the gums. And you won’t have to use messy dental adhesive or repeatedly visit your dentist to have your dentures adjusted. If you already wear dentures, you can have them adapted to be secured by mini-implants.
Benefits of Mini-Implants
MDIs come with the same benefits as standard dental implants, plus a whole lot more. Benefits of implants in general include:
• High success rate.
• Permanent solution.
• Bite improvement.
• The titanium in dental implants fuses with jawbone to promote bone growth.
• Non-Surgical Procedure; The less invasive, simpler procedure means:
• No incisions into the gum.
• No need for stitches.
• MDIs are placed using a localized anesthetic to minimize discomfort.
• Faster treatment.
• Mini implants can be placed in a single appointment. This makes them considerably less costly than routine dental implants.
MDIs avoid the need for an additional procedure, a bone graft, which is necessary to place conventional dental implants if you don’t have sufficient jawbone density. The smaller diameter of mini-implants means they can be used without the need for a bone graft.
Are Mini-Implants Right for You?
Mini dental implants have seen a rapid rise in popularity in recent years. Mini-implants offer a better solution to better bite function with dentures, and a healthy smile that will last a lifetime. MDIs also ensure the stability of supporting bone structure, which is crucial in preventing future oral health issues. Mini-implants are your best option for securing your dentures.
Call and set up an appointment to see if you could be a candidate for mini-implants.
