Ways We Can Place Dental Implants and Restore Missing Teeth

Dental implants are tiny titanium screws that are placed in the mouth, to replace the most fundamental part of the tooth, its root. People all over the country are starting to realize that dental implants are the most effective way to replace lost or damaged teeth, because of the simplicity with maintaining them and the permanence of the procedure. We have found that our patients' quality of life improves dramatically after they have had dental implants placed since the teeth allow them to eat all the foods they would normally eat, doesn't rely on toxic or messy adhesives, and allows them to live without a second thought about their prosthetic. Other studies have shown that using dental implants can reduce periodontal disease, problems with the gums, and loss of bone mass in the jaw bone. For all these reasons, many of our patients are adopting dental implants as the way to live a full and healthy life after tooth loss.

With rising popularity, dental implants are no longer a mystery to many of our patients. It is always a pleasure to have patients that already know what a technology is, how it is used and are willing to ask questions to learn more about how it can help them. Few people, however, realize that there are actually two different kinds of dental implants which can be used, and are used based on the density of the jawbone. The first kind of dental implant, and the one that most patients are familiar with is known as an Endosteal implant. This implant is usually cylindrical, think of a screw, in shape so that it can easily be placed into the jawbone, and is inserted directly into the jawbone. There are some patients whose jawbone is not dense enough to withstand this kind of a surgery, and they have two options. Option one is to rebuild the jawbone and option two is to use the second kind of dental implants which are known as Subperiosteal implants. Subperiosteal implants are placed in the gum but above, or directly on, the jawbone.  Both procedures are extremely effective, and you will not be able to tell the difference based on what method is best for you.

Dental implants are surgically placed for maximum effectiveness, strength, and stability. Just like there are two different types of implants, which are used to address the needs of different patients, there are two distinct ways of placing the implants as well. The first is a two-step method. In the two-step method, the dental implants are placed, and the protruding area is covered with a small device known as a healing abutment. The jawbone and the gum tissue heals around this abutment for several weeks. The other method used is the one-step method. In the one-step method we do not use a healing abutment, rather the gum tissue is used to cover the protrusion until the gum tissue and bone has healed sufficiently. Healing typically takes between 4 and 6 weeks, after which we can place the dental crown to complete the effect.