Dental Implants
If you have missing teeth, dental implants are an effective solution to help you regain your smile and your confidence. Implants provide a stable, secure, and long-lasting foundation for artificial teeth that look, feel, and function like natural teeth.
At Derhake Dental in Florissant, MO, Dr. Sarah Spring works with top local specialists who expertly place your implant. After healing, she restores the implant with a beautiful, natural-looking dental crown. For multiple tooth replacement, she may recommend a bridge or implant denture, depending on your needs.
How Does a Dental Implant Work?
A dental implant is a tiny titanium screw placed surgically in the jawbone by a trusted specialist. As it heals, it fuses with the bone around it and acts as a replacement tooth root.
After healing, the implant post is as stable in your jaw as the original root was, maybe more so. A connector piece called an abutment is attached to the titanium post, and a custom replacement tooth is placed on top.
Implants are a standalone tooth replacement, meaning they don’t require the support of surrounding teeth. We can replace a single tooth with a crown or multiple teeth with an implant bridge or denture.
What Are Dental Implant Benefits?
Implants are not a recent innovation and have been around for decades. The American Academy of Implant Dentistry reports that over three million people have implants, with an additional 500,000 placed each year. They also have an impressive 95 percent success rate and are popular for several reasons:
- Preserves the jawbone’s integrity
- Prevents remaining teeth from shifting
- Improves speech and chewing ability
- Reduces the risk of additional tooth loss
- Supports an implant crown, bridge, or full denture
- Offers a more stable, convenient solution to bridges or dentures
Last but certainly not least, replacing one or more missing teeth with dental implants restores your comfort, appearance, and confidence. By preventing jawbone loss, they also help maintain facial structure to prevent a hollow or sunken-in look.
Who’s a Good Dental Implant Candidate?
Good dental implant candidates are healthy adults with one or more missing teeth and enough bone in the jaw to support the implant post. You should have healthy gums and be committed to taking care of your implant by maintaining excellent dental health.
You may not be a good dental candidate if you lack sufficient bone density; however, Dr. Spring can perform a bone grafting procedure to make implant placement possible for you in the future.
If you are a heavy smoker, an implant may not be the right tooth replacement for you. Smoking inhibits your body’s ability to heal, compromising its stability and long-term success.
Bone Grafting Procedure
When there’s insufficient jawbone density to place an implant, Dr. Spring may recommend bone grafting to prepare the jaw for surgery in the future. Bone grafting is a procedure where Dr. Spring places bone material in the area where the bone is thin or missing.
It takes several months for the graft to heal, and as it does, it builds up the bone, making it strong enough to place the implant. The bone grafting material may be taken from your body (autograft) or a donor (allograft), or an artificial bone substitute (alloplastic) may be used.
Ask Us about Dental Implants!
If you need a long-term, stable tooth replacement, we would love to explain all your options. Please call Derhake Dental in Florissant, MO, to schedule an appointment to learn more.
