Dental Implants are one of the most exciting treatments in modern dentistry. Although the first implant was placed 40 years ago, the new developments in the field are making implants a more often utilized restorative option.
Dental implants are essentially titanium anchors that are surgically placed into the bone. The bone actually attaches itself to the implant and has tremendous stability. After 3-6 months, an abutment and crown is then placed on the implant to look and feel like a natural tooth.
Implants have advantages in many situations over other treatments in that they:
- Conserve bone- When a tooth is lost, the surrounding bone resorbs unless it is used. Implants help prevent this bone loss.
- Conserve tooth structure- No preparation of adjacent teeth is needed as compared to a bridge.
- Improve biting pressure and stability when used to support dentures or as a fixed bridge.
- Longevity and reliability- Implants have become a very predictable procedure with high success rates.
- More predictable in cases where adjacent teeth have questionable prognosis for a bridge as the whole bridge may need to be replaced if one part of it fails.
We have recently purchased an implant surgical kit from Nobel Biocare to place some implants in our office. Call to see if implants may be an option to replace missing teeth or to help stabilize your current denture.
