Dental Implants

Dental Implants

Missing Teeth? Consider Dental Implants.

If you are self-conscious because you have missing teeth, wear dentures that are uncomfortable or don’t want to have healthy tooth structure removed to make a bridge, talk to your dentist to see if dental implants are an option for you.

Request A Consultation

An Excellent Long-term Option To Restore Your Smile

Dental implants are a popular and effective way to replace missing teeth and are designed to blend in with your other teeth. They are an excellent long-term option for restoring your smile. In fact, the development and use of implants is one of the biggest advances in dentistry in the past 40 years. Dental implants are made up of titanium and other materials that are compatible with the human body. They are posts that are surgically placed in the upper or lower jaw, where they function as a sturdy anchor for replacement teeth.

Most patients find that a dental implant is secure, stable and a good replacement for their own tooth. There are generally three phases to getting an implant:

Implant placement begins with a consult with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon or periodontist. If a patient is a candidate for placement, the specialist will perform the surgery. They may recommend that the dentist surgically place the implant into the jawbone. Your dentist may recommend a diet of soft foods, cold foods and warm soup during the healing process.

Next, the bone around the implant heals in a process called osseointegration. What makes an implant so strong is that the bone actually grows around it and holds it in place. Osseointegration takes time. Some patients might need to wait until the implant is completely integrated, up to several months, before replacement teeth can be attached to the implant. Other patients can have the implants and replacement teeth placed all in one visit.

Finally, it’s time for the placement of the artificial tooth/teeth. For a single tooth implant, your dentist will customize a new tooth for you, called a dental crown. The crown will be based on size, shape, color and fit, and will be designed to blend in with your other teeth. If you are replacing more than a single tooth, custom-made bridges or dentures will be made to fit your mouth and your implants. (Note: The replacement teeth usually take some time to make. In the meantime, your dentist may give you a temporary crown, bridge or denture to help you eat and speak normally until the permanent replacement is ready.)

Interested in dental implants?

If you are interested in dental implants, it’s a good idea to discuss it carefully with your dentist first. If you are in good general health this treatment may be an option for you. In fact, your health is more of a factor than your age. You may be medically evaluated by a physician before any implant surgery is scheduled.

Chronic illnesses, such as diabetes or leukemia, may interfere with healing after surgery. Patients with these issues may not be good candidates for implants. Using tobacco can also slow healing.

Implant Phases

PHASE 1/Specialist’s Office:

During this phase you will visit the specialist’s office for a consult and eventual placement of dental implant(s). Note: The specialist requires a referral to their office that will be provided to you by one of our doctors prior to making an appointment with them. The specialist advises a period of time for healing once the implant is placed. They will inform you of the exact amount of time required. 


Once adequate time is allowed for healing, they will let you know that you are cleared to give us a call in order to schedule an appointment for restoring your implant with the proper crown, bridge, or over denture as determined during your exam appointment initially. 

PHASE 2/Our Office:

During this phase you are scheduled for removing the healing cap over the top of the implant, loading of the implant post in order to take an impression, then sending the impression to our lab for fabrication of the crown(s), (bridge, over denture, etc.). Note: Generally it takes approximately 3-4 weeks for this to come back from our labs.

PHASE 3/Our Office:

During this phase you will return to our office to remove the healing cap over the implant one final time and for cementation/placement of the permanent crown (or appropriate restoration) to the implant. 

HERE’S AN IMPORTANT NOTE TO CONSIDER THROUGHOUT THE IMPLANT PROCESS:

Charges to you and/or your insurance are separate in our office and the specialist’s office. Because of this, when appropriate we encourage you to check with your insurance in terms of maximum allowable benefits yearly, what has been used, and what remains in terms of coverage so that you are fully informed of expected charges and payments due. We do our best to ensure that you are fully informed of your obligations financially. However, we cannot know what benefits you have used at another office. Therefore, we ask that you play an active role in staying up to date with your current benefits status. 

Share by: