Dental Implants

Dental implants are artificial tooth roots that are placed in your jaw to anchor replacement teeth, bridgework, or a denture. They are becoming the option of choice for tooth replacement for people who have basically good oral and general health.

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Situations Where Dental Implants Are Used

	You have one or more teeth in the very back of the mouth missing. A bridge generally requires supporting teeth on both sides. If one side of the space in your mouth doesn't have any teeth to support a bridge, a bridge won't work. Your choices are a dental implant or a removable appliance.
	One or more teeth are missing, and the adjacent teeth are intact or healthy.
	When all the teeth in one or both arches are missing. Dental implants can provide support for a denture, making it more secure and comfortable. They also prevent facial collapse by preventing bone resorption.

Dental implants are the closest thing to getting your original teeth back. They feel so natural and, if done well, they look so natural that you may forget that you ever lost a tooth.

When they are properly placed and diligently maintained, they can last a lifetime. Maintenance requires patient home care, and the dental hygienist needs to regularly remove tartar and other deposits. As technology improves, studies are showing improving long-term success rates.

Types of Dental Implants

Endosteal: This is by far the most common type. Endosteal means inside the bone, and therefore this type is placed within the bone rather than on top of it. Each implant can hold one or more false teeth.

Subperiosteal: These involve a metal framework that is placed on top of the bone with posts that poke through the gum to hold the false teeth, usually a full denture. These types are used for patients who had all their teeth extracted long ago so that their jaw has shrunk, making it difficult or impossible for them to wear a conventional denture. This is used very infrequently.

Advantages of Dental Implants over Other Techniques for Tooth Replacement (such as fixed bridges or removable dentures):

	They look and feel like your own teeth. They are anchored in the bone just like your natural teeth are.
	With them resting in the bone, they prevent the normal bone resorption that otherwise always occurs after teeth are missing. This jaw shrinking is a serious long-term problem for patients who have all their teeth extracted. It takes only about ten years for serious bone resorption to occur, which leads to the complete inability to wear or use a conventional removable denture.
	If they are done well and esthetically, no one will ever know that you have a false tooth.
	They don't require any work on adjacent teeth. By contrast, a dental bridge requires preparing the adjacent teeth for crowns. Removable partial dentures require some grinding of adjacent teeth and the fitting of clasps and rests on them, which can catch food and promote tooth decay in those places.
	They are an asset to your confidence. Since dental implants are permanently anchored in the bone, there is no risk of slippage, or losing or being caught without your teeth.

Disadvantages:

	They are usually more expensive than other types of tooth replacement, and the extra cost often isn't covered by dental insurance.
	If the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth already need dental crowns, there is less advantage to a dental implant.
	Extra visits are usually required, and you may have to see a specialist in addition to your regular dentist. The specialist (an oral surgeon or a periodontist) places the implant and your regular dentist places the crown, bridge, or denture on top of it. Some dentists, however, are trained in both procedures.
	There can be a healing delay of several weeks before you get your new tooth. However, some newer techniques can give you your false tooth immediately. You can have a tooth extraction and have the implant placed directly into the open socket on the same day, and then a false tooth also placed immediately. However, these techniques may not be appropriate for your situation, may be too expensive for you, or your surgeon may not be experienced with them. You may have to wear a temporary crown or a dental flipper while you wait for your permanent teeth.

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Are You a Candidate for Dental Implants?

If you are in good oral and general health, you can be a candidate for this procedure. This means that you can tolerate the surgery.

You also need to have adequate bone present at the site of the missing teeth to support this device. In the absence of adequate bone, your surgeon can place bone grafts.

Pictures of dental implants work

We have photographs of dental implants from Phoenix cosmetic dentist Dr. Arthur Chal. Look at them and see how real they look. We also have some photographs of a combination of implants and porcelain veneers from New Jersey cosmetic dentist Dr. Richard Champagne.

Here is a sample of the kind of work done by dentists in our referral network:


A missing front tooth can be an extremely difficult cosmetic problem for a patient. Click on the photo to see an enlarged version.	Here the single front tooth has been replaced with a dental implant and perfectly matched to the companion tooth. Click on the photo to see an enlarged version.

Cosmetic Considerations

If your missing tooth is in the front of your mouth and shows prominently when you smile, we recommend being seen by an expert cosmetic dentist. Cosmetic dental implants require special artistic training and ability that aren't generally possessed by general dentists or prosthodontists. This case pictured just above is an excellent illustration of the kind of perfect match that only an expert cosmetic dentist can achieve.

Other Treatment Options Besides Dental Implants

If a tooth is broken at the gumline, it isn't necessary to have it extracted. It may be possible to save this tooth. Click the link to read more.

Read Dr. Hall's blog posts about dental implants, where he answers questions from visitors.

Read an excellent discussion of dental implant failure from mynewsmile.com network dentist Dr. Arthur Chal of Phoenix.

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