Broken or missing teeth? Dental implants may be the best option for you.
Dental implants in North Scottsdale
Periodontal disease, excessive smoking, cavities or simply an accident can cause a person to lose a tooth. When you lose a tooth you can experience complications such as difficulty chewing, rapid bone loss, defective speech each of which may result in discomfort. Clearly missing a visible tooth also negatively affects your cosmetic appearance and even your career prospects. If you are missing a tooth or multiple teeth, the best solution and the recognized standard of care is a dental implant.
What is a Dental Implant?
A dental implant is a specially designed titanium screw that is surgically implanted in a patient’s jaw as a tooth root replacement. The surgeon should get a 3d cone beam xray that shows the bone density of your jaw in 3 dimensions and insert the implant in place and direction so that it intersects the densest bone. Usually, several months are given after the dental implant surgery to allow the jaw bone to grow over and integrate (called “osseointegration”) with the implant, making it even stronger, before putting any biting force on the implant.
Because the best alignment of the screw for purchase in the densest bone may not be parallel with your other teeth, a custom titanium piece will be screwed onto the dental implant to properly orient the tooth. This is called a custom abutment. Then your general dentist will fabricate a zirconia crown that looks and functions like a tooth to tightly fit over the custom abutment.
A dental implant essentially replaces a single missing tooth. However, a single implant can also be used to support an appliance (a dental bridge) to effectively replace multiple teeth. Several dental implants can be used to secure a denture that spans your entire upper or lower. This is called an “all-on-four” denture implant or an “all-on-six” depending on how many implants are used to secure the denture. For some people, ordinary bridges and dentures are not comfortable or in some cases, may not even be possible. This can be caused by sore spots, lack of ridges or because they cause gagging. Further, bridges must be attached to teeth on either side of the space left by the missing tooth. An advantage of implants is that no adjacent teeth need to be ground down to hold your new teeth.
However, they are used, Dental Implants are considered the best alternative to your natural teeth and are far superior to a regular denture
Dental implants have many advantages over traditional dentures and bridges, including:
Dental Implants Should Always Be Placed by a Specialist, Not a General Dentist.
At our practice only specialists will surgically place your implant, so you get the best result. Periodontists and Oral Surgeons undergo three additional years of schooling after a regular DDS dental degree to specialize in gums and jaw surgery. They also specialize in surgery like placing dental implants and both spend a significant portion of their practice perfecting this type of surgery, unlike general dentists which practice a wide array of restorative, preventative and cosmetic work. Accordingly, these specialists are more likely to be able to painlessly deal with unforeseen circumstances, unique conditions and you are more likely to have a successful implant. Importantly, the price of getting an implant from a general dentist or a specialist is likely exactly the same!
If your treatment plan includes removing a rotten or compromised tooth and replacing it with a dental implant, sometimes this can be done in the same day. If we believe you are suitable for a same day implant you will be delighted to know that one study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found the difference in success rates was statistically insignificant (i.e. the same).
The benefits of a same day dental implant are that, of course, you have a tooth replacement that day, and that your gums are likely to heal faster. The risks with same day dental implants are that it is more likely that the implant will fail, there is generally more bone loss which can lead to a failure of the implant and there is more discomfort from doing multiple procedures in one day.
Dental Implants In One Day or Same Day Dental Implants
Dental Implants In One Day or Same Day Dental Implants
If your treatment plan includes removing a rotten or compromised tooth and replacing it with a dental implant, sometimes this can be done in the same day. If we believe you are suitable for a same day implant you will be delighted to know that one study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found the difference in success rates was statistically insignificant (i.e. the same).
The benefits of a same day dental implant are that, of course, you have a tooth replacement that day, and that your gums are likely to heal faster. The risks with same day dental implants are that it is more likely that the implant will fail, there is generally more bone loss which can lead to a failure of the implant and there is more discomfort from doing multiple procedures in one day.
The Best Dental Implants
We only place conventional dental implants, usually one of the top two brands: Strauman or Nobel Biocare. Each brand has several implants depending on the specific application.
Some dental clinics advertise that they place “mini dental implants.” Mini dental implants are exactly what they sound like – just smaller-diameter implants. Some general dentists like Mini Dental Implants because they can place the implant themselves rather than referring the patient to a specialist for the surgery needed for larger-diameter implants. However, we recommend against these as they are inappropriate for most situations. Your bite actually contains a lot of downward force and that requires a full size implant.
Indeed, as Consumer’s Digest found “almost all experts with whom we spoke agree that a mini dental implant system has a substantially lower bite-force tolerance than a standard dental-implant system does, which might make the mini dental-implant system more likely to break or move out of alignment over time … mini implants are too small to ‘get the kind of stable foundation that patients need to be able to have normal biting and chewing forces.'” Further, studies have shown that “The procedure for dental implant prosthetic rehabilitation should preferentially include conventional [rather than mini] dental implants” LINK
What do Dental Implants Cost? Price
e complete cost of a dental implant, including placement varies. At a minimum, a paent is looking at the surgical placement of an implant (approximately $2,600), a custom tanium abutment (approximately $1250) and, in our case, a custom natural looking screw-retained zirconia crown (approximately $2145). A surgical extracon of a roen tooth may be needed. In addion, a paent may need a bone gra with guided ssue and a membrane placed to hold the bone gra in place while healing if implant is not placed same day (approximately $1070). The majority of our implants crowns are screw retained meaning they are directly screwed into the implant.
Process and timeline for a Dental Implant
First, you will need x-rays and exam by our doctor to determine what needs to be done and viability for an implant. If you sll have the tooth that is roen, extracon will be needed which can be done at the rst visit. However, if it is a complex surgical extracon, we will refer you to our trusted oral surgeon or periodonst so you get the best result. If you are referred to a specialist, somemes a dental implant can be surgically placed on the same day as the extracon. However, if a bone gra is needed to add supporng bone to the area that will happen on the day of the extracon, however, you will not get an implant placed that day. It takes approximately 3 months to heal from the bone gra and be ready for an implant placement. Then you will have an appointment for the implant to be placed. It takes approximately 3 months for the implant to integrate with your jaw bone and be ready to bear the pressure from bing (called “osseointegraon”). Aer this three months, you are then scanned for the implant crown. Your custom zirconia crown can take from 1 to 3 weeks to come back from the lab. Unlike others, we only use the top labs in Arizona and will never use foreign/chinese labs. The majority of our implant crowns are screw retained meaning they are directly screwed into the implant for a superior result. So your total me from start to nish is usually 6 months but may be longer depending on your circumstances.
Denture Implants/ All on Four Implant Dentures /Full Mouth Dental Implants Dental Implants Bridge
The paent’s mouth is scanned and a temporary denture is made prior to surgery day and delivered on surgery day. All teeth are extracted and implants are placed at designated sites with bone gra and guided ssue at all sites. Implant placement can range from 4 to 6 implants depending on the individual paent’s treatment plan . Sutures are placed throughout. We deliver denture. Paent is expected to keep denture in through the night we remove the next day at their follow up appointment. We do several follow up appointments and through out the healing process the denture is relined as needed and adjusted as the gums shrink. Total healing me from start to nish on average is a year. Cost $$$$ 27,000.00 per arch total.
How do Dental Implants work with Dentures?
How do Dental Implants work with Dentures?
Denture Implants/ All on Four Implant Dentures /Full Mouth Dental Implants Dental Implants Bridge
The paent’s mouth is scanned and a temporary denture is made prior to surgery day and delivered on surgery day. All teeth are extracted and implants are placed at designated sites with bone gra and guided ssue at all sites. Implant placement can range from 4 to 6 implants depending on the individual paent’s treatment plan . Sutures are placed throughout. We deliver denture. Paent is expected to keep denture in through the night we remove the next day at their follow up appointment. We do several follow up appointments and through out the healing process the denture is relined as needed and adjusted as the gums shrink. Total healing me from start to nish on average is a year. Cost $$$$ 27,000.00 per arch total.
Who Cannot Get Dental Implants
You may not be suitable for a dental implant in a specific site if you have poor bone density in that area. You may also not be suitable for an implant if you are a lifelong smoker, as oral surgery will have a higher failure rate due to infections and failure to heal and integrate your jaw bone with the dental implant. If you have periodontal disease, it will need to be treated to be able to successfully place an implant.
If the bone in the site for a dental implant is not dense enough we may recommend a bone graph before you can have a dental implant. Bone density is very important
A bone graft can create a more solid base for the dental implant placement. It may take several months for the transplanted bone to grow enough new bone to support a dental implant. In some cases, you may need only minor bone grafting, which can be done at the same time as the dental implant surgery. The condition of your jawbone determines how you proceed. If a bone gra is needed, healing from that point is about 3 months before an implant can be placed on that site.
What is a Bone Graft?
What is a Bone Graft?
If the bone in the site for a dental implant is not dense enough we may recommend a bone graph before you can have a dental implant. Bone density is very important
A bone graft can create a more solid base for the dental implant placement. It may take several months for the transplanted bone to grow enough new bone to support a dental implant. In some cases, you may need only minor bone grafting, which can be done at the same time as the dental implant surgery. The condition of your jawbone determines how you proceed. If a bone gra is needed, healing from that point is about 3 months before an implant can be placed on that site.
How Long do Dental Implants Last
Dental implants are designed to last a lifetime if you have good oral hygiene. The biggest factors in determining whether an implant will fail include your continued oral health and whether the surgeon who placed the implant itself was a skilled specialist.
The crown atop a dental implant will likely need to be replaced sooner than the implant itself as they endure the damage of biting force and are exposed to the acids in the mouth.