All about implants. What you need to know.
When are prosthetic solutions used?
Prosthetic solutions are used to replace damaged or missing teeth. New dental crowns and bridges are individually designed and supported by either remaining natural teeth or dental implants. Prosthetic solutions are available for a single tooth, several teeth, or a full jaw.
What is an implant?
Dental implants serve as artificial roots, firmly anchored into the jawbone, that support removable or fixed tooth replacements.
When are implants appropriate?
When one tooth or several teeth are missing, or when the whole jaw is completely without teeth. Various treatment processes and implant solutions are available that take the medical and personal needs of the patient into account. The dentist will advise the patient on the optimal solution.
Why is placing an implant recommended?
Dental implants ensure that the jawbone remains functional and help prevent further bone loss. This reduces the risk of a chain reaction, which, in the most extreme cases, can result in the loss of all teeth. Dental implant treatment can restore the patient’s natural appearance, self-confidence and ability to eat the things they like.
What material are implants made of?
Dental implants are made of commercially-pure titanium – a material proven to be accepted by living tissue (biocompatible). Adverse reactions to titanium are extremely rare.
How long do implants last?
With proper care and regular checkups, your implants can last for a lifetime. Many patients have had implants for 15 years and longer. The likelihood of an implant still being fully functional after ten years is greater than 90 %.
What are the age limitations for implants?
Typically, implants are not placed in individuals whose jaw- bones have not yet fully developed. But, good health is a primary deciding factor. In healthy older patients, the prospects of success are virtually the same as for younger people.
Is implant treatment unpleasant or even painful?
No, implants are generally placed under local anesthesia. Placing the implants involves minimal discomfort for the patient.
The advantages of dental implants.
1. Delivering a proven, successful solution.
Dental implants are widely recognized to be the most successful method of tooth replacement used today. Placed by specially, trained dentists, implants and modern prosthetics are hard to tell apart from your natural teeth. The color, shape and contour of replacement teeth can be adapted to match that of your natural teeth. And with dental implants, healthy teeth do not have to be compromised.
2. Maintaining a youthful appearance.
Maintaining your natural bone is one of the most important advantages of dental implants. With missing teeth, the bone begins to resorb over time. Significant bone loss can shrink the contours of the jawbone, causing wrinkled lips and a sunken mouth and chin. Dental implants can help counteract that by preventing resorption of the jawbone, stimulating bone growth and stopping bone loss.
3. Preserving your healthy teeth.
With conventional dental bridges, adjacent teeth are used as anchors and must often be ground down. Dental implants eliminate this need and allow natural, healthy teeth to be preserved in their original state.
4. Comfortable solutions that last.
The latest prosthetics and implant solutions are very durable. They are more stable, more comfortable, and more functional than conventional dentures. And because dental implants are made of biocompatible materials, they are also more tolerated by the body. With proper care and good oral hygiene, a prosthetic solution will last for many years. A dental implant can actually last a lifetime.
5. Providing stable retention and security.
The stable retention of prosthetic solutions and implant-supported tooth replacements offers strength, reliability and durability similar to that of natural teeth. Crowns, bridges or prosthetics are securely anchored to integrated dental implants. This eliminates some of the main problems of conventional prosthetics: poor fit, gum irritation, pressure points, speech and taste impairment. The result is an esthetically comfortable, reliable and stress-free solution.
Check out our **NEW** tab for more on how Dr. Barrera can create the smile you've always wanted!
