Dental Implants – Crown Point

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

Most patients who have good oral and general health are candidates for dental implants; however, you’ll still need a thorough consultation. We will perform a visual examination and take a CT scan to assess your oral health. Based on the results of the consultation, you may need additional treatments to become a candidate for the procedure, like tooth extractions, periodontal therapy, or bone grafting.

Dental Implant Surgery

After you’ve healed from any previous treatments, you’re scheduled for your implant placement surgery. We partner with the best dental implant specialists in the area to ensure you receive the highest quality of care. Sedation or anesthesia is used to ensure your comfort while your gum tissue is opened to gain access to your jaw. A small hole is drilled into your bone to insert the titanium post. Your gum tissue is stitched closed and you’ll spend the next several months healing.

Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment

The implant post acts as a root, stimulating your jaw to encourage bone growth. Your jaw will fuse to the post through a process called osseointegration. This allows the post to potentially remain in place forever with the right care. Not to mention, your restoration will have a stable foundation, so you won’t need to worry about any slipping or irritation.

It usually takes three to six months for your jaw to fully heal. Afterward, you’ll need a second minor surgery to attach an abutment to the post. The special fixture connects your restoration to your implant. It takes about two weeks for your gum tissue to heal after the procedure.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

While you’re recovering from your abutment procedure, the dental lab will be hard at work creating your restoration. It’s made of all-ceramic material to match the color, size, and shape of your natural teeth to blend in when you smile and speak. It’s also durable to withstand the pressure of regular chewing to enjoy your favorite foods.

Day-to-Day Benefits

• A Natural Look and Feel: Implant restorations look and feel a lot more like real teeth than traditional dentures and bridges. Not only are they designed to blend in, but they also feel like part of your mouth once the implants have joined with the bone. No need to feel awkward about dentures that could slip at the wrong moment and cause you to slur your words!
• Complete Diet: With regular dentures, your diet will be somewhat limited due to the difficulty in chewing sticky, crunchy, hard, or generally tough foods. Dental implants have strength that’s comparable to real teeth, so they don’t have any real diet restrictions associated with them. You can head back to your favorite restaurant with your head held high!
• Easy Maintenance: You don’t have to do anything special to take care of dental implants aside from brushing and flossing – in other words, the sort of thing you were already doing before you lost any teeth.

Health Benefits

• Improved Oral Health: Since dental implants are so easy to clean, you should be able to maintain a healthy mouth over the long term. By brushing and flossing as thoroughly as possible, you can avoid gum disease and other health issues that could eventually lead to costly treatments.
• Strong Jawbone: Did you know that your teeth are actively working to keep your jawbone strong and healthy? The stimulation they provide encourages the rest of the body to deliver nutrients to the area and maintain the jaw.
• No Sensitivity or Sores: Dental implants don’t require us to make changes to natural teeth, meaning they don’t carry a risk of increasing tooth sensitivity. And because they support dental restorations themselves, you’ll avoid the soreness that’s often associated with dentures.

Long-Term Benefits

• Permanence: Dentures and bridges are fairly durable, but they do have rather limited lifespans. They last around 10 to 15 years – sometimes more or less depending on the care they get. Dental implants, on the other hands, have the potential to last anywhere from 30 years to an entire lifetime, meaning you’ll truly be able to enjoy your new tooth for the rest of your life.
• Save Money: Not only are you less likely to have to pay for a dental implant replacement, but you also won’t have to spend money on specialized cleaning solution, adhesive, and other products that might be required with dentures.
• Long-Term Success: As far as oral surgeries go, dental implants have an extremely high success rate – around 95% to 98%.

Missing One Tooth

When replacing a single tooth, a dental implant post, an abutment, and a dental crown are needed. The biocompatible implant post is surgically placed into the jawbone to replace the tooth root while also providing a secure foundation for the dental crown. Over the course of the next several weeks, your jawbone will fuse to the implant post, allowing it to remain in place for many decades with the right aftercare.

Missing Multiple Teeth

Dental implants in Crown Point now provide the perfect alternative to a traditional dental bridge when needing to replace multiple missing teeth in a row. Prosthetic teeth will be created to bridge the gap. Instead of using dental crowns that are placed on the adjacent teeth to hold it in place, an average of one to two dental implant posts are used.

They anchor the oral appliance in place, allowing you to regain more of your natural ability to chew and speak. Not to mention, without capping the natural teeth, it helps to preserve them from damage in the future. You will give them the support they need to stay firmly in place while improving your quality of life.

Missing All Teeth

You can replace an entire arch of teeth with dental implants. A full dental implant procedure is completed in two phases. In the first, an average of four implant posts are surgically placed into the jaw. Then, after they have had time to bond with your jawbone, your posts will be exposed, and your custom-made full denture will be attached. This process can take several months to complete, but the results are unlike anything you can get with traditional restorative care.

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How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

If you want a permanent solution for missing teeth, look no further than dental implants in Crown Point. They’re designed to last well over 30 years – sometimes even a lifetime! Of course, their exact lifespan depends heavily on a patient’s oral health, habits, and lifestyle. The good news is that proper maintenance for dental implants doesn’t require any special care. Brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and regularly visiting your dentist is all that’s needed to keep your new smile in its very best shape!

Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?

Before the procedure begins, your mouth will be completely numb with a local anesthetic. Also, you’ll more than likely be sedated, which lowers your body’s ability to register pain. Even though the surgery itself shouldn’t hurt, your mouth will feel sore for the first few days following your procedure. Luckily, you manage those symptoms by taking prescribed or over-the-counter pain medication as directed and using cold compresses. If your discomfort worsens, contact our dental team right away for assistance.

What Can Cause Dental Implants to Fail?

Although it’s uncommon, dental implant failure typically occurs for one of two reasons. The first is peri-implantitis, which is a type of gum disease that develops from poor oral hygiene, damaging the bone and gums supporting the implant. The other reason is failed osseointegration, which is exactly as the name implies (when the implant does not successfully fuse with the jawbone). A few other causes of dental implant failure include chronic teeth grinding, tobacco use, and certain medications. During your consultation, your dentist will explain how you can minimize your risk of implant failure. 

Is There Anything I Shouldn’t Eat with Dental Implants?

You’ll want to avoid chewy, tough, and hard foods for the first couple of weeks after your surgery. Do not use a straw, and be sure to avoid sugary, acidic, and alcoholic drinks as well. After this initial period, you can eat almost any food you want! Of course, you’ll want to exercise caution with items like nuts, ice, hard candy, and gum, as they can loosen or dislodge your restoration altogether.