If you are missing a single tooth, a few teeth, or all of your teeth, dental implants may be the right fit for you and your lifestyle!
What are the benefits of Dental Implants?
- Significant improvement in the overall quality of life for patients who have implant-supported or retained dentures, as opposed to standard or conventional (free-floating) dentures.
- Help maintain or realign facial structure and profile.
- Preserve bone that is otherwise lost when teeth are removed.
- Easy to clean and do not decay.
- Help to preserve adjacent natural teeth.
- Implant-supported crowns and bridges have a longer functioning life than conventional crowns and bridges placed over natural tooth structures.
- Help to prevent the appearance of premature ageing by preventing bone loss that otherwise occurs after loss of teeth.
- Implant-supported replacement teeth can eliminate embarrassing denture slippage.
- While the initial investment for a dental implant can be greater than that of a conventional bridge, in the long run, implants can be more cost-effective when taking into account the functioning life of the implant compared to a conventional bridge.
How long do dental implants last?
With proper care, good dental hygiene, and a healthy lifestyle, implants can last a lifetime. For more than 40 years, dental professionals have successfully placed millions of implants. Technology and procedures have advanced significantly since the first implants were introduced, allowing a well-established success rate of up to 98%.
At rare times, implants may not be successful. Some reasons for failure can be attributed to an unhealthy lifestyle (smoking), poor dental hygiene, trauma, or infection arising from elsewhere in the mouth. Implants do require brushing, flossing, and regular cleaning appointments with your dentist or dental hygienist. Lastly, the prosthetic teeth can wear out over time, with materials such as porcelain eventually chipping or cracking and requiring repair or replacement. In most cases, the original dental implant can still be used to secure new replacement teeth.
FAQs
Dental implants are tooth root replacements, capped with a ceramic dental crown. The crown (replacement tooth) is connected to the implant with an abutment. Zirconia implants are somewhat new to the implant arena. At Chinook Smiles, we also started offering Zirconia for implants in the past decade while we have been using Titanium for dental implants since the 1960’s. Both materials are biocompatible offering high acceptance rates with the body promoting Osseointegration which means bone can grow around the implant material just as it does around our natural tooth roots. Currently, most Zirconia implants are one piece. This means that the synthetic tooth root and the abutment are connected whereas they are two pieces with Titanium dental implants giving the dentist more control over a few elements of the entire implant placement process.
It’s easy… just take care of an implant as if it’s a natural tooth! This involves regular brushing, flossing, and dental checkups. If you have any concerns about your implant, contact your Chinook Smiles dentists immediately.
Before you can begin, we need to examine you and take X-rays to determine the density of your jawbone. This appointment will be non-invasive and comfortable. We can present you with all of the options available to you and discuss the ins and outs of each treatment solution. This will allow you to ask questions and select the option that is best for you.
When you come in for a consultation, we can provide you with a good idea of when we can attach your new tooth. For the most part, we wait until the process of osseointegration takes place and the titanium post integrates into the jawbone. This provides the most durable base to attach your new crown to. Typically, this process can take anywhere from three to six months to complete. However, there are other options we can explore if you are on a tight timeframe. To ensure your smile is intact while you wait, we can provide you with a temporary denture to wear. We will attach the denture using wires, similar to a retainer. You can remove the denture whenever you want to. This way, your smile will appear intact until we are ready to secure your new tooth (crown) in place. We will schedule you for a follow up visit to inspect your implant and give you a better idea of how the healing process is going at that time.
Most patients report feeling normal within a week of dental implant surgery. The first couple of days will be the most uncomfortable, but every day you should feel slightly better. Ibuprofen or Tylenol can usually be enough to increase your comfort.
The dental implant placement process is usually a minor surgical procedure that can be performed on an outpatient basis. We offer dental anesthesia and sedation options to ensure a comfortable experience.
