What is a Dental Implant?

An implant is a titanium “root” which can be placed into the jawbone. Once integrated with your bone, the implant can be used to support a crown, a bridge, or secure a complete denture. Dental implants may be used to eliminate partial plates and dentures.

Implants have been used successfully for over thirty years, and have a high success rate, and function and feel like your natural teeth. Dental implants are now the standard of care for replacing missing teeth.

Dental implant treatment represents a slightly greater investment than conventional treatment; however, the benefits of implant therapy for most patients outweigh the minor additional cost involved.

Multiple Tooth Implants

Multiple tooth implants may be placed if you need or desire to permanently replace an extracted or lost tooth. Titanium implant bases are placed into the jawbone to replace the job of the tooth roots.

We allow a period of time to allow for the jawbone to heal over the bases before fitting for a crown.

Next, abutments are screwed into the bases of the implants to allow crowns to be attached.

Finally, custom fabricated crowns are placed over the abutments and will function like a real tooth.

Implant Placement

There are actually two phases to implant dentistry.

First phase is simply creating a proper site to place the implant, which mimics the root of the original tooth. Then the site must be cleaned and prepared so that the dentist can gently place the implant into the prepared site for a firm grip as well as for comfort and utility.

Second phase is the cosmetic aspect of the implant, which is when we securely fit the post and crown to the implant so as to look and feel like a real tooth.