Dental Implants & Implant-Supported Denture
Whether you have lost one, several, or all of your teeth, having an incomplete smile can harm your oral health and diminish your quality of life. Missing teeth can make it difficult to enjoy your favorite foods and speak naturally. It also changes your appearance and can make a person not want to show off their smile.
Thankfully, modern dentistry offers several options for replacing missing teeth to restore the smile's form, function, and beauty. While patients have a variety of tooth-replacement treatment options, implant-supported dental restorations have quickly become the most popular.
Dental implants are, in essence, a prosthetic replacement for a missing tooth. This restorative treatment is designed to mimic the natural anatomy of a tooth, making dental implants the most secure and natural-feeling tooth replacement option available.
While there are several types of dental implants available to address different treatment and patient needs, dental implants consist of three basic components:
Dental implants have several advantages that benefit patients, including:
Dental implants are also a versatile treatment option, as they have several applications:
Since everyone is unique, the tooth-replacement treatment process differs for every patient. Depending on your treatment needs, the entire treatment process could take anywhere from a few months to more than a year to complete. Despite this considerable time investment, dental implant treatments pay off in the long run with their longevity and numerous benefits.
Dental implant patients can expect the following basic treatment process:
Treatment begins with a consultation, examination, and diagnostic images. During this appointment, we work with you to design a personalized treatment plan and ensure you understand the steps involved.
Some patients require preparation for dental implant placement. This might involve tooth extractions and/or bone grafts to shore up the jawbone to support a dental implant.
Once extractions and bone grafts are complete and the patient has had enough time to heal, we can place the dental implants. Implant placement involves a simple oral surgery that is usually performed with local anesthetic and some form of sedation.
After this procedure, the patient heals and the dental implant becomes fused with the jawbone in a process called osseointegration.
Once osseointegration has occurred, the patient returns to have the abutment placed on the dental implant. This usually requires an incision because the gum tissues usually heal over the top of the dental implant. After this procedure, the patient will wait through another period of healing.
Once the tissues have healed around the abutment, we schedule the patient for another appointment to place their permanent restoration. Depending on the type of restoration being placed, it might be attached using permanent dental cement or "snap-on" attachments for overdentures.
Once the restoration has been placed, the treatment process will be complete.
While dental implants are an exceptional tooth replacement option, they are not always the right treatment option for every patient. Candidates for dental implants must have generally good oral health, no current signs of periodontal disease, and a jawbone robust enough to support an implant. They must also be healthy enough to undergo the implant placement process and be willing to abstain from tobacco use.
If you are missing one or more teeth, you do not need to live with an incomplete smile and the problems that come along with it. Instead, we encourage you to speak with Dr. Spence about the smile restoration options available at Bloomsburg Family Dentistry. We can talk with you about your goals and treatment preferences to help you determine whether an implant-supported dental restoration is the best treatment for you. To learn more or request a consultation, we welcome you to contact our office today.