Implant Dentistry

A dental implant that is essentially a titanium screw that is fixed into the jaw. If you have a tooth if it's split or gone bad or just you lost it for some reason, usually we see you for an extraction procedure and at that time we'll do also a bone grafting procedure. Now that you have the tooth out, you basically have an open space, and so in order to keep that bone supported, we put in bone graft material. That material needs to heal for about 4 months for your own bone to fill in that space. After 4 months, we see you back. We'll take a 3D X-ray, also known as a cone beam CT, and we start digitally planning your implant. Then we have a surgery to actually place the dental implant. It's very straightforward. We use the guide to place that implant exactly where we planned it. Typically, it's done under just local anesthesia. If you're anxious about it, there's options for other sedation: nitrous oxide or oral sedation, IV sedation. Dental implants as long as they are properly planned and properly placed, they're really the gold standard of tooth replacement. Aftercare for a dental implant, it's essentially the same as a tooth. The only difference is that a dental implant is circular in shape and our teeth are more oval or void in shape, and so when you floss in that area, you actually have to go a little bit deeper just in order to clean that area. The long-term benefits can range from aesthetics. Someone might not like the missing space in that area. Improved function overall. With a partial denture, your bite function decreases quite a bit. Maintenance at home, it's easier to clean around a dental implant as opposed to a bridge.