Dental Implants are small titanium posts which are gently placed in the bone.
They are placed in an area of missing teeth. The post becomes attached to the bone. This process takes approximately 8 weeks. The implants serve as anchors to support replacement teeth. You then will return to your restorative dentist to have the teeth placed. In some cases, implants are placed and your dentist will place your teeth the same day. This is called “teeth in one hour”.
Implants can be utilized to replace one tooth or several teeth. They can also be used to help support an existing denture. Implants look, feel and function like your real teeth. Once they fuse to the surrounding bone they will usually last a lifetime.
Most procedures are done in one visit which takes less than one hour.
The procedure is entirely painless. A small amount of local anesthesia is administered which numbs the area. You can come to the office and in most cases return to work the same day.
Bone Regeneration
Today bone regeneration is an integral part of implant reconstruction. There are many instances where a potential implant site does not have enough bone volume in order to accommodate placement of an implant. This usually is a result of bone resorption that has taken place since one or more teeth were lost. The longer teeth have been lost and not replaced, the more bone loss occurs. We now have the ability to regenerate bone where needed. This gives us the opportunity then to place implants in the area. There are several types of bone graft procedures. Almost all bone regeneration procedures are done using local anesthesia. Most procedures are approximately 60 minutes in length. You can resume normal activities in most cases the day of the procedure.
There are several types of bone graft materials which are used. All materials used are completely sterile and medically approved for their use.
Extraction Site Graft
When most teeth are extracted, we typically now place graft material in the extraction site. This helps maintain the natural contour of the bone. It also enables implant placement in the area.
Ridge Augmentation Procedure
If your back teeth have been missing for a long period of time, the bone in the area becomes greatly diminished. Usually the bone thickness and height are significantly reduced. A ridge augmentation procedure increases the bone volume in the area. This then allows implant placement in the area.
Sinus Lift Procedures
When you’re top back teeth are extracted , your maxillary sinus becomes enlarged over the years. This may result in insufficient bone in order for implant placement. This can easily be corrected with a sinus lift.
During this procedure, a small opening is made in the gum tissue in the vicinity of where your top back teeth were once located. The lining of the sinus is gently moved upwards. Bone graft material is then placed in the area. After several months of healing this graft becomes part of your jaw. Dental implants could then be gently inserted into the area. Many times, the implants are placed during the sinus augmentation procedure.
