Dental implants are metal posts that replace the root of a missing tooth and are covered with a crown. They are made of titanium making them very biocompatible and non-allergenic, meaning your body will not have a negative reaction to them. Implants are placed into the bone, which will then grow around threads on the implant, integrating it into the jaw. After several months of healing, your dentist will take an impression and a custom crown will be fabricated to match the color of your natural teeth. Once completed, it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between a natural tooth and an implant with a crown. When proper hygiene is maintained implants have a success rate of over 95%.
The placement of an implant is done with local anesthesia, similar to what is used for a filling. The process takes around an hour and afterwards you will be back to your normal activities. You may experience slight, dull discomfort in the area and your dentist will recommend anti-inflammatory medications to take at home.
Your dentist will do a full exam to determine if one or more implants would be beneficial for you. It is very important that any periodontal (gum) disease is under control and proper oral hygiene habits are upheld. Implants have a tremendous advantage for replacing a single missing tooth because they do not require any work to be done to the neighboring teeth. Implants can also be used when there are multiple missing teeth, as they can support bridges, replacing several teeth at once.
Your body has a special type of bone that supports teeth and keeps them in place. When a tooth is removed, this bone will resorb to be used in other locations in the body. As this bone is resorbed, it will also affect the teeth on either side of the space, causing those teeth to lose support, tilt to the side, and over time can cause them to become loose and need to be removed. Placing an implant will cause this bone to stay in place instead of resorbing, keeping your entire mouth much healthier.
A missing tooth will also affect the tooth across from it. If a tooth doesn’t have another tooth across from it while biting, it will eventually become loose. The shifting of teeth into unnatural positions can cause joint pain to occur. Replacing a missing tooth is important for the health of other teeth and should be done as soon as possible.
Traditional removable dentures can be significantly improved when combined with implants. Implants placed into the bone will act as anchors that the dentures can snap into. The fit of a denture decreases over time as the bone resorbs away, but if implants are placed, the bone will remain in place and the dentures will fit much better. Implant overdentures will not move when eating or talking and are much closer to functioning like natural teeth than dentures without implants.
Inside of the skull, in the cheek area, there are two hollow spaces called sinuses. These areas are very close to the upper back teeth on each side. The shape of the sinuses and the proximity to the teeth vary from person to person. While planning for implants, these sinuses need to be carefully considered. When teeth have been missing for a long time, the sinus will sometimes move into the area that the roots were in, removing some of the bone thickness that was previously there. In these cases, it will be necessary for your dentist to perform a procedure called a sinus lift. This involves accessing the sinus area through the gums, and adding bone underneath it to increase the thickness enough to support an implant. The procedure takes place with local anesthesia and the recovery is similar to that of tooth extraction. Your dentist may prescribe antibiotics and anti-inflammatory pain medication afterwards.
It prevents bone atrophy in the place of the missing tooth, as there is rapid bone loss going on under the surface once a tooth is lost. It maintain the jaw and the rest of the natural teeth in the mouth, with dental implant you will restore your self-confidence once again. You will be able to restore the complexion of your face. Dental implants let you get rid of the stress of removable prosthesis and the embarrassment it cause you.
When one or more teeth have been missing for a long time and the bone has resorbed, there may not be enough bone thickness left for implant placement. In these cases, synthetic or natural bone will need to be added to create thickness. Your dentist will evaluate your bone levels and discuss with you the options for rebuilding your bone prior to implant placement.
New York Total Dental offers cosmetic dentistry and general dentistry services including full mouth rehabilitation, Invisalign, dental implants, orthodontics, veneers, periodontics gum treatment, teeth whitening, crowns and bridges, teeth fillings, and dental cleaning to Midtown Manhattan, Upper Manhattan, Lower Manhattan, and Downtown Manhattan in New York City.
