If you’re curious to learn about dental implants, you’ve probably already lost one or more teeth. There are a number of reasons why teeth may be lost: accidents, sports injuries, tooth decay and failed root canals, or as a result of gum disease. In all these cases, dental implants offer you an unique opportunity to replace that tooth (or teeth) with a prosthetic that feels and functions more like natural teeth.
If you’d like to learn more about dental implants contact our Fresno, CA dental practice. Call Fresno Dental Studio today at 559-297-1294 to make an appointment with one of our friendly dentists today.
Dental implants due cost more initially, but unlike traditional prosthetics, they are a permanent correction to your problem, and will save you money on future dental care. They will also preserve the function of the rest of your mouth and prevent the bone loss and facial deterioration that inevitably occurs when lost teeth are not replaced.
Dental implants also take a fair amount of time to place, start to finish, but anyone who has had successful dental implants will tell you it’s entirely worth it. If you need dentures, especially, dental implants will make a difference in the quality of your life. Traditional dentures can be unwieldy and slip out of place, and they can also ache your gums. Implant-based dentures, however are more comfortable, stay in place, and feel more like natural teeth.
How Dental Implants Are Placed
The process of getting dental implants is a multi-step, long-term process that consists of two surgical procedures with a period of healing in between them. Dental implants will only be successful if the titanium or ceramic implants successfully fuse with the jaw bone. This process is called osseointegration, and it can take from 3 to 8 months after the first surgery takes place.
Planning For Implants
Before dental implants can be considered, we will need to do a full dental and medical assessment to make sure you are a good candidate for the procedure. X-rays and CT scans will be used to help us see what’s going on in your mouth and make sure we can plan every detail of the procedure perfectly. If you need to have teeth extracted, or have periodontal treatments before your mouth is well enough for surgery, we will include that in the treatment plan.
Occasionally a patient will need bone graft surgery before implant surgery can be initiated. If the tooth/teeth have been missing for several years already, bone loss may have also occurred to the point that an implant may not be stable without prior grafting.
Surgical Procedures
During the first surgery, a small hole will be drilled into the jaw or facial bone and the implant will then be screwed into place. Sutures are used to close the hole, and must be treated very gently as you heal. You will need to take very good care of your body and get proper nutrition during this period of osseointegration. Over a period of several months, new bone tissue will grow around the implant, thus stabilizing it and preparing it to hold your prosthetic tooth or denture.
The second surgery takes place only after the implant has fully stabilized. An opening is created in the gum tissue above the implant, and a post (or healing cap) will be attached to make room for the abutment, which connects the implant to the prosthetic. Once the gum tissue has healed around the post, your new crown, bridge, or denture can be attached to the implant.
Getting Your New Teeth
It may take several months and office visits, but once you finally get your replacement teeth, you’ll understand what all the fuss is about. In many ways you’ll look and feel as though you never lost a tooth, and you’ll feel like smiling all the time! If you are getting a porcelain crown, it will be designed to fit in perfectly with your smile and will be permanently attached, just like a natural tooth. Bridges and dentures are typically removable, to allow you to clean them thoroughly each day, but they may also be affixed permanently, depending on your lifestyle and preferences.
If you’d like to learn more about dental implants, contact our Fresno, CA dental practice. Call Fresno Dental Studio today at 559-297-1294 to make an appointment with one of our friendly dentists.