A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is surgically placed in the jawbone and acts as an anchor to stabilize an artificial tooth. Dental implants can replace one, some, or all missing teeth. Dental implants are an ideal option for people in good general oral health who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason.

What Dental Implants Can Do?
Replace one or more teeth without affecting neighboring teeth.
Support a bridge and eliminate the need for a removable partial denture.
Provide support for a denture, making it more secure and comfortable.

Advantages of Dental Implants Over Dentures or a Bridge
Every way you look at it, dental implants are a better solution to the problem of missing teeth.

Esthetic Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth! Since dental implants integrate into the structure of your bone, they prevent the bone loss and gum recession that often accompany bridgework and dentures. No one will ever know that you have a replacement tooth.

Tooth-saving Dental implants don't sacrifice the quality of your adjacent teeth like a bridge does because neighboring teeth are not altered to support the implant. More of your own teeth are left untouched, a significant long-term benefit to your oral health!

Confidence Dental implants will allow you to once again speak and eat with comfort and confidence! They are secure and offer freedom from the irksome clicks and wobbles of dentures. They'll allow you to say goodbye to worries about misplaced dentures and messy pastes and glues.

Reliable The success rate of dental implants is highly predictable. They are considered an excellent option for tooth replacement.

Are You a Candidate for Dental Implants?
The ideal candidate for a dental implant is in good general and oral health. Adequate bone in your jaw is needed to support the implant, and the best candidates have healthy gum tissues that are free of periodontal disease.

If you suffer from chronic problems, such as clenching or bruxism, or systemic diseases, such as diabetes, the success rate for implants decreases. Additionally, people who smoke are not ideal candidates, but placement of implants cannot be ruled out. If you are considering implants a thorough evaluation will help determine if you would be a good candidate.

What Is Treatment Like?
This procedure is a team effort between you, your dentist and your periodontist. Depending on your specific condition and the type of implant chosen, we will create a treatment plan tailored to meet your needs.

Dental implants first entail a surgical procedure to place the anchor. Three to six months are required for the bone to grow around the anchor and firmly hold it in place. Some implants require a second surgery to connect a post that shapes your gum and prepares it for the attachment of the artificial tooth, but in most instances this post is also placed at the time of dental implant placement.

After the bone grows around the dental implant or anchor, the artificial tooth is made and fitted. Because the artificial tooth is custom made, several fittings may be required and this step can take one to two months to complete.

Replacing a Single Tooth
If you are missing a single tooth, one implant and a crown can replace it.

Replacing Several Teeth
If you are missing several teeth, implant-supported bridges can replace them.

Replacing All of Your Teeth
If you are missing all of your teeth, an implant-supported full bridge or full denture can replace them.

Sinus Augmentation
A key to implant success is the quantity and quality of the bone where the implant is to be placed. The upper back jaw has traditionally been one of the most difficult areas to successfully place dental implants due to insufficient bone quantity and quality and the close proximity to the sinus. Sinus augmentation can help correct this problem by raising the sinus floor and developing bone for the placement of dental implants.

Ridge Modification
Deformities in the upper or lower jaw can leave you with inadequate bone in which to place dental implants. To correct the problem, the gum is lifted away from the ridge to expose the bony defect. The defect is then filled with bone or bone substitute to build up the ridge. Ridge modification has been shown to greatly improve appearance and increase your chances for successful implants that can last for years to come.

Care of your dental implant
As you know, your own teeth require conscientious at-home oral care and regular dental visits. Dental implants are like your own teeth and will require the same care. In order to keep your implant clean and plaque-free, brushing and flossing still apply!

After treatment, your periodontist will work closely with you and your dentist to develop the best care plan for you. Periodic follow-up visits will be scheduled to monitor your implant, teeth and gums to make sure they are healthy.