Dental Implants
Missing a tooth or several teeth? Want another option other than a traditional porcelain bridge or a removable partial denture? Then you want to hear about dental implants! Think of a dental implant as if it is a titanium root. With dental implants, a beautiful porcelain restoration is attached to the implant which has become integrated to the bone of your jaw, just like with an artificial hip or knee. An implant is composed of three precision parts: the implant body which plays the role of the root, a beautiful porcelain crown, and a piece called an abutment to join the two. The procedure is simple, and has been regarded as one of the most innovative and effective treatments available to modern dentistry. Our doctors have the experience coupled with new technology to offer this life changing treatment to you and your family.
Am I a candidate?
- Most healthy people are excellent candidates for dental implants. The few exceptions are long time heavy smokers, uncontrolled diabetics, and patients that have received radiation to the jaw or have taken some of the many medications for the treatment of osteoporosis. You also have to have adequate volume of bone in the desired site. And many times in those situations the surgeons can place a bone graft prior to implant placement.
- Without a tooth root, bone will remodel (think, shrink) over time resulting in a bony defect. Since the implant takes on the role of a root, your bone is preserved.
- Traditional porcelain bridges require reduction of natural tooth structure on the teeth immediately next to your missing tooth and if those teeth are healthy, they are irreversibly altered to replace the missing tooth. A tooth replaced with a dental implant functions just like the tooth it replaced with no need to affect the adjacent teeth. Sometimes it is difficult to floss under a bridge but with an implant crown, you simply floss as if it is a natural tooth.
- Implants look and function just like the teeth they replace, giving you years of service.
- The bone integration process can take several months, but not to worry. We can provide a temporary solution so that you do not go without a tooth!
- As with all dental procedures, failure is possible. However, research has shown dental implants to have one of the highest success rates of all dental treatments!
Do you have a loose denture or even a well-fitting denture that moves too much? Are you ready to eat more solid foods than you have been able to? Sick and tired of gooey denture adhesives and pastes? Ask us about adding dental implants to your denture and see improved function immediately!
1008 Mission Park Dr. Vicksburg, MS