Dental Implants

Dental implants are a fascinating and incredible application in dentistry that can provide foundation for a number of different tooth loss problems.  A dental implant can support a single crown for a tooth that was lost.  They can also be used to hold a single bridge or even a series of bridges providing complete tooth replacement that remains in the patients mouth.  They can also be used to support complete or partial dentures that have a tendency to move when patients chew or talk.  

 

A “dental implant” is a small prosthetic screw that is placed into the patient's bone and provides the anchor for a planned prothesis.  The implant has an internal screw channel, and the internal screw channel allows for attachment to the implant.   At our office, we aim to provide the most appropriately sized implant for the location and it’s purpose.  We do this with the use of cone beam CT technology which allows us to carefully map the structure of bone prior to placement.  

 

Once planned, our preferred method is to fabricate a surgical guide that will ensure the position of the implant is placed in our desired location.  This careful planning helps to provide a solution that has acceptable aesthetics and while also allowing for proper biocompatibility.   We find that surgical guide use helps to shorten the treatment time of the appointment by almost eliminating the need for corrections at the time of surgery.