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This Implant Viewer Control Panel has been provided for patient education and will display slideshows of a variety of implant applications.
To view a slideshow, simply select an appropriate button.
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Is there a chance of implant rejection?
The body does not reject a dental implant, as it might a soft tissue transplant. This does not mean that an implant cannot fail, but it could occur due to other factors, such as misalignment, improper force on the implant or other conditions or existing diseases of the patient. All these factors are evaluated before the implant procedure begins. Dental implants are made of a titanium, that is totally bio-compatible (compatible with body tissues) and actually integrates with the surrounding bone and becomes part of the body. For this reason titanium is also being used more and more in the medical field to replace body parts.
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What will happen without treatment?
When you lose your teeth, you gradually lose the bone that supported them. As this bone disappears, problems with other teeth nearby and a lack of support for dentures, partials and bridges increase. These could include pain, mobility, lack of retention for prosthetics, sharp, painful ridges, mobile gum tissue and sore spots. The tongue also enlarges to accommodate the spaces of missing teeth. With tooth loss, a decrease in function occurs and the diet must shift to softer foods. Also, when bone is lost, numbness to the lower lip or even the possibility of fracture of the jaw rises. Since the bone is deteriorating, it will spread and deteriorate around healthy teeth and ultimately cause the loss of those teeth. I think everyone's heard of the "domino effect". Here's a very easy way to explain what happens. Picture a brick wall; take a brick right out of the middle of the wall. What happens? Eventually, the brick above starts to fall in from lack of support, the bricks to the side start shifting toward each other and those eventually fall out; then the process starts all over for those bricks nearest them. It's a similar process in the mouth. In addition, this progresssion will affect the ability to provide the same treatment in the later stages of bone loss than if treatment had been started earlier in the process. It's much better to replace a tooth BEFORE all of the side effects kick in. By waiting, you risk the possibility of not being able to provide the same, simple type of treatment that would have been possible earlier.
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What are dental implants?
An implant is a man-made replacement for natural teeth which allows the person to return to fixed teeth. The actual implant replaces the missing root of a tooth and integrates with the bone. A porcelain tooth or crown can then be fixed to the implant.
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Can implants support crown and bridge restorations.
Yes. In bridge situations two implants could be used to replace three or more teeth.
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Can implants support dentures?
Yes. Two or more implants are often used to support dentures. The implants can then secure the dentures into place.
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How long is the implant procedure?
To place a single implant usually requires several appointments. The implant is placed beneath the gums and is allowed to integrate with the bone. Then a crown can be permanently fixed to the implant. In some cases the complete treatment can take from 4 to 9 months. It should be understood that this procedure is advanced and can be a longer process than usual to assure it's success. We do however, provide patients with temporary teeth during this time frame. AT NO TIME are you without teeth unless you elect to do so.
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Who is a candidate for implants?
Anyone who is missing one or more (even all) of their teeth may be a candidate for implants. If one or a few of the teeth are missing, implants in conjunction with a crown or bridge can replace those teeth and function as normal teeth. If all or most of your teeth are missing, then implants may be placed to anchor a denture. Sometimes, if there is already some bone loss, bone can be added and regenerated or a technique called bone expansion can be used to create a more ideal site for the implant(s).
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