What is a Dental Implant?
Dental implants are a prosthetic, known as a fixture, that anchors itself into the jaw bone to support dental restorations in the process of replacing missing teeth or anchor dentures. They are both functional and cosmetic in that they improve a patient’s chewing capacity while appearing natural and fitting in the patient’s mouth. The implant fixture is an artificial root, which is typically made of titanium or zirconia. In the months following implant placement within the jaw bone, bone naturally tends to form around the implant through a process known as osseointegration holding the implant firmly into the jaw bone. Once this process is complete, a custom fit crown is placed onto the implant which will look and function like your natural tooth.
Transform Your Smile with Advanced Dental Implants
Dental implants have become a valuable tool dentists have at their disposal to replace missing or non-restorable teeth. Dr. Nalbandian is committed to staying up to date with the most current advancements in dental implants to make this therapy accessible to her patients at the highest standard of care. We routinely use implants in our practice to replace single missing teeth, replace multiple teeth, or to anchor removable dentures.
The Dental Implant Process
The process of dental implant placement can often take several months to complete in order to achieve the best results. The entire process is painless and completed under local anesthetic.
1
Consultation and Planning
Schedule your consultation. During this visit your dentist will complete an oral assessment which would include x-rays and an evaluation of the space available for a potential implant. 3D imaging may also be required to better visualize position of critical structures and quantity of bone present. Your doctor will also discuss any relevant medical history which may affect the possible success of implant placement.
2
Preparing for implant placement
In preparation for a dental implant placement, the implant site may need to have a bone graft placed prior to implant placement so that there will be adequate bone present to hold the future implant fixture. If there is a tooth present, this tooth would be extracted and a bone graft would be placed allowing the void where the previous tooth root was to fill with natural bone. After this step is complete, patients are usually asked to allow for healing anywhere from 3-6 months before placing the implant itself. (In some cases this step can be skipped and we can jump to step 3)
3
Implant placement
After healing has been completed from any extractions or bone grafting that needs to be done, you will be ready to have your implant placed. It is during this time that the implant fixture is placed within the jaw bone and covered to allow for the jaw bone to integrate around the implant fixture (osseointegration). This healing period will take another 3-6 months.
4
Restoration
After successful healing, the implant will be ready to have a final restoration placed on it. This restoration is a crown (or artificial tooth) that attaches to the implant and is designed to custom-fit crown the other natural teeth around it. For our patients with complete dentures, implants can also be used during this step to attach to anchor dentures so that they are more stable offering improved chewing function.
5
Lifetime care and maintenance
Implants, just like teeth, require lifetime care and maintenance. You will need to continue to see your dentist every 6 months for routine cleanings and check-ups to prevent bone loss or complications which would compromise the longevity of your implant.
How to Care for Dental Implants?
Proper care and maintenance of dental implants are essential to the long-term longevity and success of your implant. Some tips to maintaining your dental implants are as follows:
- Basic hygiene: Brush twice daily with a soft bristle toothbrush. Use a waterpik to get debris out from around the implant fixture. Floss with un-waxed or implant specific dental floss.
- Type of Toothbrush: Soft bristle, electric, toothbrush always works best.
- Routine Dental Care: Regularly visit your dentist to check and professionally clean your dental implant. At Nalbandian Dentistry, we recommend check-ups and cleanings every 6 months to proactively catch and treat early signs of implant disease known as peri-implantitis.
- Prevent clenching: Clenching or grinding your teeth while you sleep at night can be detrimental to the bone support around your implant. If you notice that this may be an issue, talk to your dentist about having a night guard made.
- Avoid Smoking: Smoking is one of the key risk factors in periodontitis and peri-implantitis. It could drastically increase your risk for bone loss and compromise the long term success of your implant.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Dental implant therapy has a wide range of benefits when compared to other dental restorations. When appropriate, they offer superior comfort, functionality, Aesthetic, and durability compared to alternative treatment options. Some of these benefits are explained below:
Comfort
When it comes to single teeth that need to be replaced, implants can be a great option that anchor directly into the jaw bone as a normal tooth root would. Patients are able to floss and clean around the implant as they would a natural tooth.
An implant could also be used to hold down a loose denture offering increased stability and improved chewing function. This reduces the chance for gum irritation and eliminates the need for messy denture adhesives.
Function
Missing teeth can often impact speech and chewing function negatively. It also unevenly distributed forces to the remaining teeth which then become worn down due to excessive function distributed over a smaller area. This loss of function can often cause patients to limit the variety of foods they are able to eat or hinder their progress in social or professional endeavors due to speech limitations.
Long-term Oral Health
Implants also help maintain long-term oral health since they prevent bone loss that often occurs after losing a tooth. They also do not require alteration to neighboring healthy teeth like bridges do.
Esthetic
Dental implant crowns are fabricated with such cosmetic precision that it is often difficult to differentiate an implant crown from the remaining teeth in the mouth.
Permanent
When well cared for, dental implants offer a long-term solution to tooth loss providing patients confident and functional smiles for decades.
