About Dental Implants
Dental implants are the strongest and most permanent solution for missing or failing teeth. When you choose to enhance your smile with dental implants, it’s a life-changing event!
We often take our teeth for granted, and you never really appreciate all they do until they begin to cause trouble.
For speaking, eating, chewing, enjoying the food we love, even the way we feel about our appearance, it’s clear that teeth are vitally important.
Dental implants may seem like a complicated process. But if you factor in all the hassle (not to mention money) you may save from avoiding future tooth troubles, it may both cost-effective and the best decision you can make for your dental health.
What’s Involved
The first step toward receiving dental implants is a consultation. We’ll discuss all the steps and explain the process, and provide an evaluation of your condition and needs.
Next, we may need an updated set of X-rays if you haven’t had any in a while. These X-rays allow us to plan your treatment and make sure we achieve optimal positioning of your implants.
After that, we may need to schedule an additional appointment for extractions or other preparation treatments.
The Structure of the Dental Implant
From the patient’s perspective, it may seem like a dental implant is a single piece, but actually, several components make up these remarkable restorations.
- The Implant – The dental implant itself is the part the makes everything possible. It is a medical-grade, titanium screw anchored into the bone, which acts as a replacement root for your tooth.
- The Abutment – Another metal piece fixed atop the implant providing structure for the final restoration to attach.
- Crown/Denture/Other Restoration – The final restoration may encompass one or more missing teeth, sometimes supported by multiple implants. These include crowns, bridges, partial dentures, or full dentures.
