Dental Implants
Dental implants are perhaps the most important advancement in dentistry over the past 50 years. These permanent, natural looking replacements for missing teeth have changed the lives of millions of people by enabling them to eat solid foods, advance their careers, find romance, and enhance their overall quality of life. The number of implants placed per year is approaching the 5 million mark. Consumer demand is huge, based largely on the needs of the aging baby boomer population.
Part of this increased consumer demand is being driven by slick advertising campaigns from high-volume dental implant practices that may lead you to believe that all dental implants can be placed in one day. The fact is that this is not always true.
Dental implants are not a “one size fits all” solution
Each patient’s unique case is based on the following factors:
The age of the patient
How long the tooth has been missing
Pre-existing periodontal disease
Overall patient health
Individual’s rate of healing
Whether the implant is in the front or back of the mouth
Important questions to ask before implant surgery:
Unfortunately, many high volume implant clinics won’t tell you this until you are sitting in the chair. When selecting a dentist to perform your implant surgery, you should ask the following questions:
How long will my dental implant surgery take?
Will computer technology be used to guide and position the dental implant?
How long will it take for a full recovery?
As periodontists, we are uniquely qualified to assess your gums and underlying bone structure to determine if they can support and sustain a dental implant. If not, we can begin building the foundation with specialized surgical procedures, including tissue grafting and bone regeneration, to help rebuild the strong foundation needed to bear the load of an implant during chewing, etc. Feel free to contact our office for more information or schedule a consultation. We are here to answer your questions honestly, accurately and without pressure.