When you lose a tooth it usually is best for your oral health to have it replaced. Missing teeth compromise your “bite” and decrease your ability to chew properly. Missing a tooth, or several teeth, can also increase the burden on your remaining teeth. Depending on the location in your mouth, a missing tooth can also have a very negative impact on your smile and appearance. Fortunately, missing a tooth is not a life-threatening process and you have time to consider what replacement option is best for you.
At your consultation appointment we will closely examine the area, explain all your replacement options, make recommendations, and most importantly, answer all your questions. It is extremely important to us that you are well informed and that you understand all your options.

What Are My Tooth Replacement Options?

If you are missing one or more teeth and choose to have them replaced, there are several treatment options available to you:

"Flipper"

A “flipper” is a removable plastic tooth device. It is fragile and is meant only to last for a short period of time. Flippers are usually only worn by patients on a temporary basis for esthetic purposes while they are waiting for more definitive and permanent treatment.

Cast Partial

A cast partial denture is also a removable device. It is precision cast in metal for increased strength and longer service. Wire clasps are commonly used to hold it in place. These wire clasps are frequently visible when you smile and unfortunately will also commonly damage the remaining supporting teeth.

Fixed Bridge

A fixed bridge is cemented into place using crowns or “caps” on the teeth adjacent to the open space for support. Crown placement usually requires removing or reducing the outer layer of the adjacent teeth. Fixed bridges have been made by dentists for their patients for decades. Unfortunately, bridges have many significant disadvantages:

• The average “lifetime” of a bridge is 12 years, meaning that most bridges will need to be replaced every 12 years. Frequently, replacing a bridge means making it longer because the original supporting teeth are no longer useful.
• Bridges are very difficult to clean under, which results in decay of the teeth supporting the bridge. Often, patients are not aware of the decay until it is too late.
• Teeth do not like to be “drilled (whittled) down”. A full 10% of teeth supporting a bridge will have to under go root canal treatment sometime in the future. Root canal treated teeth are prone to fracture, which further contributes to the early demise of a fixed bridge.

Full dentures or “plates” are the traditional solution for people who have lost all their teeth in one or both jaws. The success and fit of a full denture depends upon the patient’s jaw shape and size, their oral habits, and their adaptability. Some people adapt well to their dentures, while other patients are not able to adapt at all.

Dental Implants

Dental implants can be used to provide support for the replacement of one tooth or all the teeth. After years of research and clinical trials, we can now provide this option, in addition to the traditional treatments listed above. Implant supported teeth and dentures are often a wonderful option. Implant supported teeth and dentures can be made attractive, stable, and comfortable for many patients.

Are Dental Implants An Option For Me?

Dental implants are changing the way people live. They are designed to provide a foundation for replacement teeth which look, feel and function like natural teeth. The person who has lost teeth regains the ability to eat virtually anything they want and allows them to once again smile with confidence.
If you are considering dental implants, we will examine your mouth and oral structures thoroughly. We will review your dental and medical history to ensure that dental implants are appropriate for you. And we will evaluate your jawbones with sophisticated digital x-rays to determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants.

Dental Implants

When you lose a tooth it usually is best for your oral health to have it replaced. Missing teeth compromise your “bite” and decrease your ability to chew properly. Missing a tooth, or several teeth, can also increase the burden on your remaining teeth. Depending on the location in your mouth, a missing tooth can also have a very negative impact on your smile and appearance. Fortunately, missing a tooth is not a life-threatening process and you have time to consider what replacement option is best for you.
At your consultation appointment we will closely examine the area, explain all your replacement options, make recommendations, and most importantly, answer all your questions. It is extremely important to us that you are well informed and that you understand all your options.

What Are My Tooth Replacement Options?

If you are missing one or more teeth and choose to have them replaced, there are several treatment options available to you:

"Flipper"

A “flipper” is a removable plastic tooth device. It is fragile and is meant only to last for a short period of time. Flippers are usually only worn by patients on a temporary basis for esthetic purposes while they are waiting for more definitive and permanent treatment.

Cast Partial

A cast partial denture is also a removable device. It is precision cast in metal for increased strength and longer service. Wire clasps are commonly used to hold it in place. These wire clasps are frequently visible when you smile and unfortunately will also commonly damage the remaining supporting teeth.

Fixed Bridge

A fixed bridge is cemented into place using crowns or “caps” on the teeth adjacent to the open space for support. Crown placement usually requires removing or reducing the outer layer of the adjacent teeth. Fixed bridges have been made by dentists for their patients for decades. Unfortunately, bridges have many significant disadvantages:

• The average “lifetime” of a bridge is 12 years, meaning that most bridges will need to be replaced every 12 years. Frequently, replacing a bridge means making it longer because the original supporting teeth are no longer useful.
• Bridges are very difficult to clean under, which results in decay of the teeth supporting the bridge. Often, patients are not aware of the decay until it is too late.
• Teeth do not like to be “drilled (whittled) down”. A full 10% of teeth supporting a bridge will have to under go root canal treatment sometime in the future. Root canal treated teeth are prone to fracture, which further contributes to the early demise of a fixed bridge.

Full dentures or “plates” are the traditional solution for people who have lost all their teeth in one or both jaws. The success and fit of a full denture depends upon the patient’s jaw shape and size, their oral habits, and their adaptability. Some people adapt well to their dentures, while other patients are not able to adapt at all.

Dental Implants

Dental implants can be used to provide support for the replacement of one tooth or all the teeth. After years of research and clinical trials, we can now provide this option, in addition to the traditional treatments listed above. Implant supported teeth and dentures are often a wonderful option. Implant supported teeth and dentures can be made attractive, stable, and comfortable for many patients.

Are Dental Implants An Option For Me?

Dental implants are changing the way people live. They are designed to provide a foundation for replacement teeth which look, feel and function like natural teeth. The person who has lost teeth regains the ability to eat virtually anything they want and allows them to once again smile with confidence.
If you are considering dental implants, we will examine your mouth and oral structures thoroughly. We will review your dental and medical history to ensure that dental implants are appropriate for you. And we will evaluate your jawbones with sophisticated digital x-rays to determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants.

Exactly What Is A Dental Implant?

The best way to explain a dental implant is to compare it to a natural tooth. A natural tooth consists of a root and a crown. The part of the tooth you see and eat with is called the crown. Beneath the crown is the root. The root of the tooth anchors the tooth through the gum tissue to the jawbone. When you lose a tooth, you lose both the root and the crown. To replace a tooth, we first have to replace the root. A dental implant is essentially a new root. This specialized titanium root (implant) is fitted into a socket that we create in your jaw, replacing the lost root of your natural tooth.
Once an implant has been placed in the jaw, the bone around the implant will fuse, or integrate, to the implant. The process of integration typically takes from 2 to 4 months depending upon the quantity and quality of the jawbone. Once the implant has integrated (fused) to the jaw bone, a support post, called a final abutment, will be placed into the implant itself. The abutment actually protrudes up through the gum tissue and serves as a post to which a new crown can be cemented. If all your teeth are missing, a variety of treatment options are available to support and greatly increase the stability, strength, and retention of your dentures.
Dentist has lectured both nationally and internationally on implant designs and techniques. He is constantly updating his knowledge through continuation courses so that he can provide the very best in dental implant therapy to his patients.

How Are Implants Placed?

The office procedure to place a dental implant usually takes about an hour for one implant and no more than two or three hours for multiple implants. The placement process consists of the following steps:

• For the patient’s comfort, we normally recommend IV sedation during the procedure. Once you are sedated, a local anesthetic is administered to numb the area where the implant is to be placed.
  Then an incision is made into the gum tissue and the gum tissue is reflected back to reveal the underlying bone.
• Using specialized instruments, a socket is then carefully created within the jaw bone.
• The titanium implant is then inserted into the socket within the jawbone.
• A healing abutment, or healing cap, is placed onto the implant after it is inserted into the bone. The gum tissue is then brought around the healing abutment and held in place with dissolvable sutures.
  Once the implant has integrated, an impression is made of the implant by the restorative dentist and a final abutment and crown is fabricated. The healing abutment is removed for the last time; the final abutment is placed into the implant, and the crown (tooth) is cemented to the final abutment.

Missing Tooth

Healing Cap

Final Abutment

Final Crown

Two to four months is typically the amount of time required for the implant to integrate to the jawbone. We will follow you closely during this time. Once we have determined that the implant has healed to your jaw, the final abutment and crown will be made by your restorative dentist.
Dental implant therapy can vary greatly from patient to patient. It certainly is not a “one size fits all” form of treatment. That is why clinical expertise and judgment are so critical to implant success. Dentist has the clinical experience and academic background to assure that your implant restoration is highly successful. Dentist will present and discuss with you in great detail all your treatment options, the individual steps along the way, and the expected outcome. We promise to work closely with your restorative dentist and most importantly, as a team; we will make sure that all your implant questions have been answered prior to proceeding with treatment.