What Are Dental Implants?
When you love your smile, it can make all the difference in the
world.
A great smile can provide confidence, comfort, and it can warm a
room. But unfortunately, it is reported that up to 30% of people in
North America are unhappy with their smile. For many of these
individuals, they simply do not like to smile at all. But solutions
are available, and one of the best options to create a perfect
smile is dental implants.
When considering the option of dental implants, there is a lot
to consider, and the research process yields a wide variety of
questions…
What are dental implants, and how do they work?
How much does it cost for dental implants?
What questions should I ask the dentist to ensure I will be
happy with the results?
How do I know if my dentist is experienced and equipped to
successfully perform the procedure?
What questions should I ask my dentist before the procedure?
How long is the recovery time, and what should I expect from the
experience?
Are dental implants permanent?
At Pearl Dental in Burlington,
Dr. Daniel Currie has more than 15+ years experience helping
his patients achieve the
smile of their dreams through single implants, bridge implants
(multiple teeth), and All-on-4 dental implants – in which
a completely new set of permanent teeth are implanted in a single
day.
In this installment of #AskDrCurrie, we uncover everything you
need to know when planning for a dental implant procedure.
What are Dental Implants?
Simply put, dental implants are a way to replace a tooth (or
teeth) that are completely missing.
If your tooth (or teeth) break, it doesn’t necessarily mean
that you need an implant. If the root of your tooth is preserved,
you may consider a root canal, a crown, or to cap the tooth. But if
the whole tooth is gone, dental implants provide a practical
solution that is permanent in nature.
The dental implant procedure has existed for over 50 years, but
now the procedure has become much more predictable and versatile in
terms of all the ways you can use an implant.
In the past, a dental implant may have been discoloured, the
sizing could be off, or it may have looked different than your
other teeth. But now dental implants are completely undetectable,
and it is a procedure that can be used to replace a single tooth, a
bridge (multiple teeth), or all of your teeth in a single session
(All-on-4 dental implants).
This allows our patients to achieve a permanent solution that
they will love in a single session, with minimized recovery
time.
How do dental implants work?
Basically, you place the implant in the jaw bone. Many dentists
will place this implant in a portion of the jaw where there is not
currently a tooth. But there is also a more advanced procedure that
we practice at Pearl Dental, and it drastically reduces recovery
time.
This advanced technique is to place the implant in the area
where the tooth has just been removed. This procedure requires a
great deal of experience to ensure the implant will be placed
appropriately, and will remain firmly secured.
While the procedure requires a more experienced and adept
dentist, it can save the patient 4 – 5 months of recovery time
because the entire procedure is completed in a single day.
Regardless of which way you do it, the next step is
osseointegration. This is a process that takes 4 – 6 months for
your body to secure the implant by growing bone in and around the
implant.
Who are the right candidates for dental implants?
You are a good candidate for dental implants if you have teeth
that are completely missing, and you do not want to wear a
denture.
Implants offer a wide variety of benefits in comparison to
dentures. This includes some major benefits related to lifestyle,
aesthetics, and function.
In terms of lifestyle, you will never have to worry about your
teeth falling out, they will not shift when you eat, they will not
affect your speech, and they don’t come out at night because they
are permanent.
With regards to aesthetics, dental implants allow our patients
to achieve a confidence they didn’t think was possible. They will
be the right size, colour, and they will create your perfect
smile.
Lastly, dentures provide functional challenges that do not apply
to implant patients. After all, dentures are something you have to
think about every single day. It is a consideration when you eat,
sleep, or travel. So dental implants provide our patients with
peace of mind to live their life without concern for their teeth,
or smile.
What questions should you ask before booking a dental
implant procedure?
As with many things in life, experience matters. If you are
considering dental implants, it is a very personal decision and you
need to be comfortable with the individual that will be performing
the procedure.
On that note, here are the questions that everyone should
consider when selecting a dentist to perform a dental implant
procedure.
How long have you been doing this? Experience is everything, and
you want to ensure the individual is well prepared for all the
scenarios that may occur during the course of your procedure, and
in recovery.
It is also important to ask… How complicated is my specific
case? The answer you receive will tell you a great deal about the
individual you are speaking with. Will it be an easy procedure, or
a difficult one? And why will it be easy or difficult? Each patient
has different considerations, so it’s important to understand how
the dentist will approach your specific circumstances.
Here is another important question to ask during your dental
implant consultation… What will be done to make the dental
implant procedure more predictable? From the patients perspective,
one of the most important considerations is aesthetics – they
want to make sure they look great afterwards. So you aren’t
simply wanting an implant, you want teeth that will look natural
and great.
To achieve this outcome, it requires surgical experience,
cosmetic dental experience, and knowing how to manage gum tissue.
So experienced dental surgeons will be able to lean on their
experience to understand what can be done to limit any uncontrolled
variables, and to ensure the procedure is predictable.
You will also want to discuss post procedure care (that’s
something we address below).
What is the criteria for making a dental implant
decision?
There are a variety of factors that go into making the decision
to undergo a dental implant procedure.
On one hand, there is an emotional component. Perhaps the
patient is fed up with their dentures, and they are ready for a
permanent solution. Or maybe the patient lost a front tooth and
they do not like the idea of a prosthetic. So in most cases, there
is a personal moment, or event, that prompts the individual to want
a permanent solution that will look fantastic.
From our perspective, the goal is to highlight that we are an
experienced and professional group that cares. We take great care
to understand the needs of the individual, and to understand what
prompted them to come in for the consultation.
It is also important for our patients to understand that
they
will receive great care from the team at Pearl Dental. We will
provide support throughout the process, and I give all my patients
my cell phone number and they can call me if they have any issues
at all.
And this speaks to the previous question… What happens if
there is a problem or complication after the procedure? How will
that be managed? Could there be any additional costs, or will you
fix any potential problems free of charge?
For us here at Pearl Dental, there are no additional costs if
problems arise. We will work diligently to address any potential
issues immediately. And through experience, we’ve learned to
mitigate potential issues in advance through thoughtful planning.
So we always think a few steps ahead, we are prepared for issues
that may arise, and our patients never have to worry about
additional costs.
What is the outcome of the dental implant
procedure?
There are two parts to the healing process.
The first part is the immediate swelling and discomfort after
the procedure. This typically lasts a few days. The second part of
the healing process is the implant itself, and this healing takes
place over a 4 – 6 week period.
You don’t actually feel that healing process as it unfolds,
but it is happening for every dental implant patient. So it is
important to avoid chewing too hard in that area, brushing
aggressively, and to generally remain mindful of the
osseointegration process that is taking place.
So we focus heavily on post procedure care to ensure the implant
heals correctly, and that the patient is comfortable.
What do you say to people that are nervous about the
procedure?
Ironically, having an implant is typically less painful than
having a tooth removed.
There is a psychological component because the idea of
implanting something into your mouth sounds like it would be
painful. But the reality is you have less pain after having an
implant replaced than you do having a tooth removed because there
is a primary closure – the gum tissue is not exposed.
For patients that experience anxiety at the dentist office, we
offer sedation dentistry to ease that tension. Not everyone needs
it, but if your only obstacle is getting over the worry of it,
sedation is a helpful solution that alleviates those concerns.
For additional information, please contact
Pearl Dental or give us a call at 905-637-1698.
READ
MORE: What’s The Cost of All on 4 Dental Implants?
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What Are Dental Implants? appeared first on Pearl Dental.
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