Dental Implants Stevensville

What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are biocompatible restorations that mimic natural tooth roots. Made from titanium, they fuse with the jawbone when placed, allowing for a stable base that supports a custom-made dental crown, bridge, or denture. These prosthetics are different than dentures and dental bridges because they go beneath the gumline to restore more than just the visible crowns of missing teeth. They effectively rebuild them from the roots up, delivering stronger, longer-lasting results.

The 4-Step Dental Implant Process

There are four main steps required as part of the dental implant process: initial consultation, dental implant surgery, osseointegration/abutment placement, and delivery of the final restoration. At Keep Smiling Dental, Dr. Mularczyk partners with local implant specialists so that your new teeth are properly placed for maximum support and stability. To get a better idea of what you can expect from each of the four steps, keep reading.

• Initial Dental Implant Consultation – You will meet with Dr. Mularczyk to discuss your eligibility for dental implants and go over whether you need further treatment to address issues of gum disease, tooth decay, or bone loss.
• Dental Implant Surgery – We partner with local implant specialists who will carefully place your dental implants. Using local anesthesia, you will feel no pain while your posts are positioned within your jawbone, providing maximum support to your new custom restoration. Once finished, protective healing caps will be placed over the implants.
• Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment – After your dental implant surgery, you will return home to recover. The fusing of your dental implants with your jawbone will likely take 4-6 months to complete (this is called osseointegration) before you can have your metal abutments put into place. These small connector appliances hold your new restoration in place once it’s firmly attached.
• Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s) – The final step of the dental implant process is receiving your new crown, bridge, or denture. Depending on how many teeth you need to have replaced, we will determine which restoration is right for you. We will inspect your new teeth to ensure they look natural and feel comfortable once they are secured onto your implant posts.

Benefits of Dental Implants

Living life with dental implants is something millions of people are already doing. You will find that by choosing these customized prosthetics, you, too, will enjoy their countless benefits, some of which include:

• Longer Lifespan – Dental implants are known to have a lifespan of 30+ years, which is considerably longer than dentures or dental bridges, which typically last less than 10.
• Natural Look & Feel – Dental implants are considered the closest thing to real teeth because of their natural look and feel.
• High Success Rate – Upon initial placement, dental implants have a 95% success rate. It remains the same after 10 years if teeth are properly cared for during this time.
• Easy to Maintain – Dental implants don’t require special products to keep them clean. You can continue with your same oral hygiene routine while living with these artificial teeth.
• Improved Bite Force – Dentures and dental bridges are unable to restore much of your bite force, but dental implants make it easy to eat the foods you love once again. In fact, you’ll have virtually no food restrictions with these prosthetics.

Who Dental Implants Can Help

Dental implants are often lauded as the gold standard of tooth replacement, and they’ve been able to assist numerous patients with all degrees of tooth loss over the years. In fact, it’s estimated that around half a million dental implants are placed in the US each year! That said, you may be wondering if you’re a good candidate for the treatment. Here’s a closer look at how dental implants can help in a variety of situations.  

Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

To be considered for dental implants in Stevensville, there are a few key qualifications that you’ll have to meet. The first has to do with your jawbone density; if you don’t have enough remaining bone tissue to house the implant posts, a supplemental bone graft might be needed beforehand to strengthen your jaw.  

Similarly, if your mouth isn’t in decent health and you’re suffering from issues such as gum disease, you’ll need to undergo treatment first, since this condition can lead directly to implant failure when left unaddressed. During your consultation, Dr. Mularczyk will carefully evaluate your dental health and discuss your goals with you before coming up with a customized treatment plan.

Missing One Tooth

A single implant post can be used to restore just one missing tooth; the post is normally placed directly into the jawbone, underneath the gums where the tooth was lost. After it’s fused with your jawbone, we can attach a dental crown restoration on top. The crown will look, feel, and function exactly like your lost tooth—and this method doesn’t require any alteration to any existing teeth!  

Missing Multiple Teeth

When replacing multiple missing teeth at once, we will take a conservative approach and only use as many implant posts as are necessary. In many cases, two dental implant posts can be used to support a dental bridge that replaces several missing teeth in a row, though the exact number of posts needed will depend on how many teeth are missing as well as where they were located.

Missing All Teeth

For patients without any remaining natural teeth, usually anywhere from four to eight strategically placed implant posts are all that are needed to support a full denture. Thanks to the stability provided by the implant posts, your jaw receives enough stimulation to remain healthy, while your bite power is restored enough to let you enjoy a varied diet. Depending on your needs, implant-supported dentures can either be removable or fixed in place.