Decatur, AL Dental Implants
When you are missing one or more teeth, you have several options for replacing them. The most natural and conservative way is with dental implants. They don’t require any alterations to any other teeth, and their structure most naturally replicates your own teeth. And, placed properly and taken care of properly, they can last a lifetime.
Dental implant placement is fundamentally a two-step process. The first step is to place the implant, usually made of titanium, into the jawbone. During a healing period of three or four months or so, the bone will fuse to the titanium creating a solid foundation. After that process, which is called osseointegration, the root form will be ready to receive the crown—the visible portion of the restoration.
There is no limit to the number of teeth that can be replaced with dental implants, and you don’t even necessarily need one implant for each tooth replaced. Implant bridges, for example, can be used to replace several teeth anchored by two dental implants. If this is your situation, we’ll be happy to review your needs and discuss your options with you.
Dental Implant Benefits
Dental implants offer several benefits over other options to replace missing teeth. First, they offer a permanent solution and with proper care have the potential to last a lifetime. Secondly, implants don’t require any unusual daily upkeep. You brush and floss them and have them professionally cleaned regularly, the same as for your natural teeth.
Furthermore, dental implants do not require the adjoining teeth to have work done, as in a bridge which requires the abutting teeth to have crowns placed. Finally, the implant crowns will be made to resemble your natural teeth so no one will know that they are not your own.
If you are missing all your teeth, your choice will be between removable complete dentures and an implant-retained denture. While removable dentures move around as you chew and speak, dental implants stay fixed and are more comfortable. They also act to preserve your jawbone and prevent facial collapse, a consequence of long-term complete tooth loss.
All-On-4
All-On-4 dental implants, also called Teeth-in-a-Day, are one option for patients who have lost all their teeth, if those teeth have been missing for a long time. Four implants are placed at various angles in the front of the mouth where there tends to be more bone left. It eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming bone grafting that could otherwise be needed to be able to replace all of the teeth.
If you want to learn more about the consequences, prevention, and treatment of bone loss in the jaw, we invite you to visit our Facial Collapse information page, and contact us if you have questions or would like additional information.
If you are missing teeth and would like to explore your options for replacing them, we would love to see you as a patient. Just give us a call, or you may fill out our request an appointment form and we will call you.