The Dental Implants Difference
If you are struggling with missing teeth, dental implants offer an incredibly stable foundation for restoring your smile with a dental prosthetic. Dental implants are small titanium posts that are surgically inserted into the jaw and provide a lifetime of support for crowns, bridges, and dentures. Dr. Gregory Strain and his team of professionals offer dental implants at their Metairie, LA, practice for patients who desire an improved smile and bite.
Dental implants are surgically inserted into your jawbone, providing unrivaled stability and support for an implant-supported restoration.
Candidates for Dental Implants
To be considered for dental implants, you should be in good general and oral health. Patients must also have a sufficient amount of healthy jawbone tissue to support an implant. Patients who lack the jawbone tissue necessary to create a stable foundation for dental implants may undergo a bone graft or sinus lift to fortify the jaw and restore their candidacy for the dental implants procedure. These preparatory procedures can also be performed in our office.
Patients with insufficient jawbone tissue may also opt for a mini dental implant, which is smaller than a traditional implant and therefore needs less bone to anchor an implant. If you have multiple oral health concerns, we can also incorporate dental implants treatment into a comprehensive full mouth reconstruction.
The Dental Implants Procedure
Your oral surgeon will begin your dental implant placement procedure by administering local anesthesia and other sedation methods, if necessary. Once you are completely comfortable, the surgeon will make an incision in the gum line and a drill a very small hole into the jawbone. The titanium post will be inserted into the hole and your gums will be stitched together.
Implants have become extremely popular in recent years, and for good reason. With proper care, dental implants can last for the rest of your life.
During the healing period that follows dental implant placement—a time period of approximately four to six months—the implant will fuse with the jawbone in a process called osseointegration. Once osseointegration has occurred, restorations such as dental crowns, bridges, or dentures can then be attached to the implant. Patients may also opt for a temporary restoration to fill in their smile until they are ready for their permanent prosthetic.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Implants have become extremely popular in recent years, and for good reason. With proper care, dental implants can last for the rest of your life. Additionally implant-supported restorations provide patients with a number of functional and aesthetic benefits, such as:
- Full confidence that your restoration will not slip out of place when you talk, laugh, or eat
- A lifelike feel and a natural look
- Prevention of jawbone recession
- Avoiding sunken cheeks or puckered lips that accompany tooth root loss
When a tooth is missing for an extended period of time, the bone structure can break down due to lack of stimulation from the tooth root. As a result, the cheeks may collapse inward and the lips may fall and pucker. Since implants fuse with the jawbone, they essentially serve as an artificial tooth root and send regenerative signals, effectively halting further jawbone recession.
Permanently Restore Your Smile
Missing teeth can take away from the pleasure of daily activities, like eating dinner or chatting with friends. Dental implants allow you to live life to the fullest and give you a boost in self-confidence. To find out if dental implants are the best tooth replacement solution for you, contact Gregory S. Strain, DDS Family Dentistry online today to schedule your consultation. You can also call us at (504) 838-8118 to speak to a member of our team.