Dental Implants (Video)

ental implants are a permanent and appealing solution to replace missing or extracted teeth. They are better than other alternatives like bridges because no additional teeth need to be altered to place the new tooth.

The entire implant process is performed over the course of a few months. The first part of the process is to install the implant itself, where a screw is placed into the jaw bone. An incision is made in the gum so that the implant can be inserted. Multiple implants can be placed at once if necessary. After the implants are placed the gums are sutured.

The implant must be allowed about 3-6 months to heal, and during this time the jaw bone will form around the implant in a process called osseointegration. During this healing time you can have temporary crowns installed so that you can eat and speak normally and maintain a proper aesthetic appearance for your smile.

After the implant has healed it is time to place an abutment on the implant. The abutment serves as the base for your new tooth. One this is placed an impression of the abutment is taken and is used to create your permanent restoration. Some offices have an onsite lab to create the crown, but others will have to send it to an outside lab. Once the restoration is completed you can return to the office to attach the restoration permanently. Your smile will look just like it used to, and after a short period of getting used to the implant it will feel just like one of your own teeth.

Edgebrook Dental Associates is proud to provide our patients with the highest quality Dental Implants available in the world of Dentistry. At our office, we use a few different systems of Implants that were established over many years of research to give our patients the highest success rates of Implant-bone integration. We are also fully prepared with more than twelve different implant-restoration kits, to restore the vast majority of implant systems used in the country. We surgically place and restore implants to create single crowns, fixed bridges, Over-dentures and full mouth fixed appliances to restore the full function and esthetics to the way it looked before, and better!

Dental Implants, traditional technique

After an Implant is placed, a process called "Osteo-integration" starts between the implant and the surrounding bone

In some cases, the "hopeless tooth" can be removed and the dental implant can be inserted in its place at the same appointment (Immediate Implant placement). Usually, a bone graft is used to fill the gap forming the size-difference occupied by the tooth to that occupied by the implant.

Cone Beam CT uses in treatment planning of Dental Implants:

When multiple Dental Implants are to be placed, or if the position of the Implant to be placed is extremely close to important vital structures like: a nerve, a sinus or other nearby teeth. A Cone Beam CT is very beneficial to accurately plan the treatment process.

Implants can be used to stabilize a removable denture.

Implants can also be used to fabricate fixed bridges. Typically, fixed bridges need more implants to support them in comparison to the number of implants used to stabilize a removable denture.

Implant-related procedures:

When an implant is to be placed in the upper molar teeth spaces, procedure known as a "sinus elevation or lift" is sometimes indicated, depending on the amount of remaining bone present.

*In certain cases, the remianing bone is too thin or too small to place an acceptable Implant. Generally, there is two ways we can deal with this problem:
First, Bone expansion technique (on the upper jaw) or Bony Ridge split technique (on the more rigid lower jaw bone).

Second option, is the use of a bone graft to thicken the remaining bone. This can be done before the implant is placed, where it is allowed to heal for about 4-6 months; In certain situations, it can be done at the same time when the implant is placed, saving several months of waiting for the implant to heal. Bone grafts can be "particulate" or sand like grafts for smaller defects, or it can be "whole Block" bony grafts that can be screwed to the bone using titanium screws when larger defects are present. Here is an demonstration of the "block" bony graft. Bone grafts can be of either human cadaver origin or of an animal origin or they can be pure synthetic, each has its own indications and advantages that need to be addressed per each individual cases.

In certain cases, the size of the bony defects can create a relative contraindication for the use of an Implant and all other treatment options should be weighed carefully before deciding on which option you wish to consider for your treatment. For more personalized evaluation of your case, please give us a call at (773) 631-8717 for your FREE implant consultation.

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