Dental Implants Provide the Best Support for Crowns and Dentures

The Advantages of Dental Implants

Traditional dentures are held in place with a mild adhesive. With this method, dentures may slip while eating or speaking. Implant-retained dentures, however, are firmly held in place, so you can chew and speak with absolute confidence.

Implants also offer a good alternative for people who need bridges, but want to avoid altering healthy teeth in order to accommodate the bridge. With traditional bridges, the teeth next to the gap are covered in crowns that hold the dentures in place. Implant-supported bridges, on the other hand, require no alteration of healthy teeth, and rely solely on the implant for support. An implant-supported bridge can also be a good option for a tooth that is too damaged or decayed to support a crown.

Dental implants can also help maintain the structure of your jaw in ways that traditional dentures, bridges,

 and crowns cannot. In the absence of tooth roots, the body will resorb the bone cells, causing the jaw to atrophy. Dental implants halt this process because the body perceives the dental implant as a tooth root.

Placing Dental Implants

The dental implant procedure usually requires two surgeries. Before your first surgery, we will take x-rays to determine where to place the implant. The first surgery begins by making an incision in the gums. Next, a pilot hole is drilled into the jawbone, and the implant is inserted. Last, the gums are stitched closed. Over the next few months, the implant will fuse to the bone.

For the second surgery, another incision will be made at the gum to expose the implant. An abutment is then connected to the implant, serving as the point of connection with your dentures or crown. The gums are stitched closed around the implant, and will finish healing in the next two to three weeks. We provide temporary restorations during this time. Once healing is complete, we can can begin creating your permanent restoration. In many cases, we can provide same-day restorations using our in-house E4D technology.

If you have waited awhile to address a missing tooth, and have lost bone mass, not to worry. As part of your dental implant procedure, we offer bone grafting, tissue grafting, and sinus lift treatments. Patient comfort is very important to us, which is why we can also turn your traditional dentures into durable implant-supported dentures.

Contact Us Today

If you are missing teeth, or if you already wear dentures and want better support, dental implants might be the solution for you. Contact us today to learn more.