What is a dental implant?

Whether you need to replace a single tooth or many teeth, dental implants can provide a permanent solution that will let you smile, laugh and enjoy your favorite foods with confidence. Dental implants are specially-made titanium screws placed in the jawbone to serve as a firm foundation for a new tooth or denture that looks and feels completely natural.

Today, the preferred method of tooth replacement is a dental implant. They replace missing tooth roots and form a stable foundation for replacement teeth that look, feel and function like natural teeth. Dental implants also help preserve the remaining bone by providing the stimulation previously provided by the natural tooth roots.

The most common dental implants are called "root form implants." They are similar to teeth in that they mimic the shape of the roots of teeth. They can be used to support individual teeth or to help anchor removable dentures. Using local anesthetic (freezing) and oral sedation, the implants are surgically placed under the gum and into the bone. The healing period for dental implants varies depending on the location and the health of the bone.  It can be as little as 6 weeks or as much as four months. Some form of aesthetic temporization is always placed in visible areas. Once the implant is biologically attached to the bone, a post (abutment) is inserted inside the implant. The post becomes the extension to which a crown is attached.

Implants are made of a bio-compatible material called titanium, which cannot decay. One advantage of implants is that they stimulate bone growth, and thus, prevent future bone loss. Bone that disappears when a tooth is removed can only be replaced with a bone graft. It is why Dr. Serota has trained to do immediate placement of the implant fixture after a traumatic extraction of a unsalvageable tooth. As well, he has chosen to place Astra Tech implants which have a proprietary coating called Osseospeed™. Research has shown this coating to the most successful bioactive coating of any currently available implant system.

What are the advantages of choosing dental implants?

• Maintain Anatomy: If you have missing teeth, the bone begins to shrink over time. Unhealthy bone loss can make your jaw line recede and change your facial structure. Dental implants can help prevent deterioration of the jawbone so your face retains its natural shape.
• Keep your healthy teeth: A better long-term alternative to bridgework, dental implants eliminate the need to grind down healthy teeth when replacing one or more adjacent teeth. Your own natural healthy teeth are not compromised.
• Security: Securely anchored dental implants do not slip or move. This eliminates some of the key problems of dentures, including poor fit, gum irritation and pain from exposed nerves. The result is superior comfort, reliability, and freedom from embarrassment.

• Aesthetic   Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth! Since dental implants integrate into the structure of your bone, they prevent the bone loss and gum recession that often accompany bridgework and dentures. No one will ever know that you have a replacement tooth.
• Tooth-saving   Dental implants don't sacrifice the quality of your adjacent teeth like a bridge does because neighboring teeth are not altered to support the implant. More of your own teeth are left untouched, a significant long-term benefit to your oral health!
• Confidence   Dental implants will allow you to once again speak and eat with comfort and confidence! They are secure and offer freedom from the irksome clicks and wobbles of dentures. They'll allow you to say goodbye to worries about misplaced dentures and messy pastes and glues.
• Reliable   The success rate of dental implants is highly predictable. They are considered an excellent option for tooth replacement.
• Immediate Placement Fractures, decay, blocked canals and other conditions can prevent the successful completion of root canal treatment. Fortunately, if this is anticipated, it is possible to remove the tooth and immediately replace it with an implant.