What are dental implants?
Dental implants are titanium posts that hold dental prosthetics in your mouth permanently. The team at Smile by Design Dental Group performs a couple of simple surgeries to place the implants in your jaw, as well as the attachment pieces that latch onto them and hold your prosthetics (called abutments).
Before you get implants, the team takes X-rays and digital scans of your mouth. Using the X-rays, they evaluate the strength of your jawbone. Since the loss of the roots of your teeth can cause jawbone deterioration, you might need a bone graft to make your jawbone strong enough to hold an implant.
During the healing period after your first implant surgery — which varies from person to person but usually takes a few months — the bone in your jaw grows around the implant, making it sturdy. Once you’re healed, the team at Smile by Design Dental Group reopens the incisions to attach the abutments.
What are dental implant restorations?
Dental implant restorations are the prosthetics that the dental team at Smile by Design Dental Group design and mill to attach to your dental implants. Smile by Design Dental Group offers two types of restorations:
Crowns
A single custom dental crown attaches to just one implant. The team makes your crown from ceramic material and attaches it to the implant abutment with a strong dental adhesive.
All-on-4 or All-on-6 dentures
All-on-4 and All-on-6 dentures require just four or six dental implants, not one per tooth. They replace either the full upper or lower arch of teeth. If you have any remaining teeth in the arch, you’ll need them extracted before your implant surgery.
What are the benefits of getting dental implants?
Dental implants offer a list of benefits that far outweigh some of the other options for replacing missing teeth, like removable dentures or dental bridges. If you opt for dental implants, you’ll enjoy these advantages:
- Stable teeth
- Great aesthetics
- Better phonetics
- Durable prosthetics
- The prevention of jawbone deterioration
- The prevention of teeth drifting into the vacant spaces
While the process of getting dental implants can be lengthy, the benefits make them worth the wait and planning. The team at Smile by Design Dental Group makes sure your new teeth look and feel completely natural after attaching them to your implant abutments.
To learn more about the dental implant process for either All-on-4, All-on-6, or singular implants, schedule an appointment online or over the phone at Smile by Design Dental Group today.
