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Dental Implants

A dental implant is a man made replacement for missing natural teeth. Implants are anchored in the jawbone and act and feel like natural teeth. Implants may replace a single tooth, a few teeth, or all of the teeth. The connection between the implant and the gums and bone, is critical to success of the implant. Since periodontists are specialists who are trained in precisely these areas, they are ideal members of the implant team, along with your dentist, who will restore the implants, once they are healed.

Implant FAQ's

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are man made replacements for natural teeth. They are made of titanium, and after healing, are anchored to the jawbone. The implant can then provide a foundation for artificial teeth or dentures.

What happens when people lose their teeth?

When a tooth is lost, the bone that supports the tooth is also lost. The tongue expands to fill in the space. The cheeks often shrink into the void left by the tooth, resulting in a cosmetic defect.

Would I be better off getting all of my teeth out and wearing dentures?

While this may seem to be an easy solution, denture wearers ofter experience the following problems: Difficulty eating, difficulty speaking, gagging, decreased taste, embarrassment, decreased self esteem, bone loss, unpleasant tasting adhesives, reduced chewing efficiency, pain and discomfort.

What is the success rate of implants?

Many studies are now available demonstrating a long term success rate
(over 10 years) of 95%.

What if I don't have enough bone for implants?

Many bone grafting techniques are available, to replace the bone which has been lost. These grafts take from 4 to 12 months to heal, before implants are placed. With the advent of Piezosurgery, we can often eliminate the need for taking a block of bone from the chin or other area, with a ridge splitting technique. This procedure may shorten treatment time up to 9 months, and eliminates the discomfort of a second surgery needed for harvesting the bone block.