Should I get a dental implant?
While implants are an excellent solution for patients missing just one or even all teeth, a complimentary personal consultation is the best way of determining this for sure. We will discuss your goals for the procedure, assess the state of your dental anatomy, and determine if implants are right for you. We have helped patients as young as 18 and as old as 90-plus to restore their teeth with implants.
How do dental implants work?
Dental implants require a healthy jawbone to be set into. An X-ray will be taken to ensure you have a solid bone base, and bone grafting can be done to rectify this if not. A titanium implant is set in place during a 30-minute surgical procedure when a healthy bone base is established. You are then set up with a temporary restoration and can return to work right after the procedure. Within 2 to 3 weeks, your jawbone will have naturally fused around the titanium implant(s) set in place, and the temporary restoration is replaced with an artificial tooth or bridge.
Are dental implants always successful?
Between 90 and 95 percent of dental implants are successful. Failure can occur in rare instances when the jawbone doesn’t fuse around the implant. Such instances are easily corrected, and the patient is provided a temporary tooth, so their appearance isn’t affected. Another rare cause of failure occurs in cement restoration. Implants can be affixed with either a special cement or a screw, and we most often opt for screws since they are more reliable and can be removed for professional cleaning and put back in with ease.
Are dental implants painful?
As with all dental procedures, some discomfort is expected, but this tends to be after the procedure is done and is easily managed with pain medication. Local anesthesia is used to make the surgery itself as pain-free as possible, and the surgery is precise and only mildly uncomfortable. If teeth need to be extracted before implants can be set, both procedures can be done in one visit to require less recovery time.
Bone grafting procedures involve a bit more discomfort and require a longer recovery process. Most patients will experience a few uncomfortable days after bone grafting surgery, and pain medication can be prescribed.
If having dental work done makes you nervous or uncomfortable, we can provide light sedation to help you feel calm and relaxed.