If you are missing teeth or wear dentures, you will be interested in one of the most exciting services in dentistry “osseointegrated” dental implants! Millions of Americans have one or more missing teeth. Estimates are about 30 million wear full dentures, and that 10 million of them – 33 percent! – cannot wear their dentures comfortably. Now, with dental implants, you will never again have to worry about loose, embarrassing dentures, or removable bridges or crowns. Some people say that implants feel as much a part of their mouths as their natural teeth once did.
Dental implants are tooth replacements made of a tiny titanium cylinder which is surgically implanted into your jaw and then covered with a prosthetic tooth. Through a unique process called “osseointegration,” the artificial root joins directly with your own natural bone, forming a solid anchor which creates comfort, cosmetics and function previously unknown in tooth replacement procedures. Osseointegration represents a significant technological advancement, and is a culmination of many years of research throughout the world.
Anyone healthy enough to have a simple tooth extraction is usually healthy enough to receive an implant. Age is no barrier. The amount of bone available must be adequate to accept an implant. Other conditions in your mouth must be favorable, including the health of the gum tissue. Dental implants are placed in two steps under local anesthesia. First, the proper type of implant is placed under the gum tissue and allowed to heal for three to four months while “osseointegration” takes place. In most cases, you can wear a temporary restoration during most of this period, so there
is little disruption of business and social activities. The implants are then uncovered from beneath the gum tissue, and the artificial teeth are created and attached to the implants by your restorative dentist.
Finally, the comfort and function of permanent teeth are yours! Contact us here at the McCawley Center for Laser Periodontics & Implants to schedule your dental implant consultation.
