Have you lost a tooth or teeth and are unhappy with your appearance as a result? Or perhaps you have dentures or another sort of non-implant restoration and have found they just do not hold up. Dentistry has seen some major advancements in recent decades, including in teeth-replacement options.
Conventional types of artificial teeth like bridges and dentures still have their place in dentistry. But dental implants hold a number of benefits over restorations that sit on top of the gumline. To learn more about implant dentistry and how it will give you your bite back, call Contemporary Dentistry & Implantology of Peabody, MA at 978-278-1760.
A Whole Tooth Replacement
Your tooth is not just made up of the portion that is visible above the gumline (the “crown”). It also includes a root, which is the part that anchors the tooth in place. Conventional restorations replace the crown and restore much of the tooth’s appearance and function. However, because they are not securely fixed in the jawbone, they are not nearly as strong as your natural teeth.
What makes dental implants stand apart is that they are replacement tooth roots. The process for getting one typically takes a few months, but the time invested is well worth it. You end up with the next best thing to a real tooth, with comparable looks, feel in the mouth, and function.
- First, we will determine if you are a good candidate for the dental implant procedure. For regular implants, you will need a thick, healthy jawbone. If you’ve suffered bone loss, we may be able to restore your jawbone through bone grafting. Alternatively, mini dental implants may be a viable option for you.
- The actual implant process is performed in several stages. First, we will surgically insert the titanium implant into your jawbone.
- As you heal over the course of several months, your the titanium post will fuse with the bone in a process called osseointegration.
- Once you are healed from the initial surgery, we will attach a connecting post called an abutment and your beautiful custom restoration on top.
Because they replaces the whole tooth and not just the crown, dental implants holds a number of benefits over other restorations.
- They are completely secure in your mouth. They will not slip, slide, or fall out.
- They are lifelike and look just like your real teeth.
- The feel like real teeth in your mouth. You may even forget they are there!
- They restore your bite strength and ability to chew with confidence. You don’t have the food restrictions and limitations you do with other types of replacement teeth.
- Because the force of your bite goes into your jawbone (the case with natural teeth as well), the act of chewing stimulates the bone and helps maintain its health. With conventional restorations, in which the force of your bite goes into the gums, bone loss is common.
We Can Replace One Tooth or Many
Are you missing one tooth? A handful? Or an entire arch? Whatever your situation, you can benefit from dental implant therapy.
In addition to single-tooth conventional implants, here are the options we offer at Contemporary Dentistry & Implantology of Peabody, MA.
- If you are missing a full arch of teeth, our state-of-the-art nSequence® Same Day Teeth protocol enables us to place all of the replacement teeth on just a few strategically placed dental implants. Perhaps the best part about this procedure is that we can attach your gorgeous custom teeth on the very day you have your initial implant surgery!
- Implant-retained dentures use a few implants to support a full- or partial-arch denture using a completely secure ball attachment. Implant-supported dentures are similar but use a bar-style attachment instead. Both options look, function, and feel more like real teeth than traditional dentures.
- Mini dental implants are an excellent option for people who have suffered from bone loss (a common consequence of missing teeth) and who are not able to get full-sized dental implants. As their name suggests, mini implants are much smaller so don’t require the same jaw thickness for success. The surgery to place them is less invasive and heals more quickly. It is also less costly. While they don’t offer quite the same level of security as their full-sized counterparts, they do deliver many of the same benefits.
- If you require an extraction, you don’t have to schedule a second procedure to get your replacement tooth or walk around with a gap in your grin. We have a service enabling us to place implants on the same day as your extraction.
If you are interested in learning more about dental implant options in Peabody, MA, call Contemporary Dentistry & Implantology for a consultation at 978-278-1760. Or get in touch with us online.