A dental implant is an artificial tooth root (Titanium) that is surgically anchored into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge in place. The benefit of using implants is that they don’t rely on neighboring teeth for support, they are permanent and stable. Implants are a good solution to tooth loss because they look and feel like natural teeth. Implants now have a 95 to 99 percent success rate. They function and look just about like the real thing. This is a tremendous value to patients who don’t want to have dentures.
In this diagram there is an artificial crown placed on top of the dental implant post. A dental implant goes into the jaw bone like a natural tooth root goes into the jaw bone. Look at the dental implant diagram to the right and compare the dental implant to the natural tooth root. However, the dental implant is made out of titanium metal and the natural tooth root is made out of dentin with a coating on its outside called cementum.
Who is a candidate for implants?
Virtually anyone. As long as you have sufficient jawbone in the area of the missing teeth and the bone is in good condition.
How successful are dental implants?
Many factors determine this, but if properly placed and cared for, a rate exceeding 98% can be achieved.
Who can place dental implants?
Implant placement is not recognized as a specialty so dentists, oral surgeons and periodontists all can place implants. The question is how many have they placed and how long have they been placing implants. Keep in mind when choosing a dentist oral surgeon or periodontist to place these implants not all these dentists restore the implants after having placed them. Remember the implant is just the root replacement. Dr. Vaziri and Leading Edge Dental in Leesburg, Florida has been placing and restoring dental implants over 20 years.
How long does it take to heal and restore the implant?
Normally it takes 4-6 months for conventional implants to heal then 2-4 weeks after the uncover procedure to receive the final restoration. However a new mini implant procedure is now available that provides immediate benefits. This new mini implant procedure is minimally invasive with a short recovery time is more affordable and is being used to immediately stabilize dentures and replace a single missing tooth. Call for a free consultation to see if this is for you.