What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are the best way to replace missing teeth or make a denture rock-solid!
Basically, dental implants are titanium screws that are placed into the bone similar to a similar fashion to wood screws. The titanium is incredibly biologically compatible; so much so that the bone fuses directly to the implant and it becomes an “artificial tooth root”. After healing, (usually for a few months), a crown is made to fit the implant abutment.
Placing the dental implants is usually a surprisingly easy and simple procedure! In fact, today, most implants are placed directly through the gum tissue without even needing sutures, and there is little if any discomfort after the procedure.
Implants may NOT be as expensive as you might think and MAY SAVE YOU MONEY IN THE LONG RUN!
Most people think that implants are too expensive to even consider. However, the actual cost of replacing a single tooth (the most common scenario!) is about the same as a porcelain bridge! Also, the longevity of implants far exceeds that of a typical bridge or partial. Therefore, by the time most patients pay to have their bridge or partial redone, they would have spent LESS on an implant solution and be MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE! In addition, we have a variety of financing options that can make implants an affordable option.
I’m missing a just a single tooth, or “only” a few teeth. Why should I bother replacing them?
While you may “still be able to chew”, missing teeth can cause big problems! Unfortunately, because these problems occur slowly, we often are unaware of the ongoing damage that takes place once a tooth is lost. Studies show that even a single missing tooth can cause irreversible periodontal problems around adjacent teeth due to movement and shifting of the teeth.
Additionally, the load put onto other teeth in the mouth increases significantly with even a single missing tooth, especially on the other side, as we try to avoid chewing in the area where the tooth is missing. This can eventually cause the deterioration or fracture of other teeth throughout the mouth. Indeed, it is routine for patients to experience a catastrophic fracture of a tooth on the opposite side from the missing tooth within only a few years of losing just one tooth.
Remember that every one of the 25 percent of people aged 70 and older who is missing ALL of their teeth started by losing JUST ONE TOOTH!
Maybe you are dissatisfied with the feel of an existing bridge or simply don’t want to “cut down” healthy teeth to replace a missing one. Or, maybe you don’t like having to wear a removable partial denture.
About 75% of Americans have lost at least one tooth by age 45, whether to periodontal disease, infection, or fracture! Unfortunately, until recently, if you were missing a single tooth, the only way to replace it was with a bridge, using crowns on the teeth beside the space. If you were missing several teeth, a BIG bridge would be needed or maybe even a partial denture. And most of us don’t want to even THINK about having a partial! Well, finally there’s another way to permanently replace missing teeth.
Using our Revois or Mini-implants, we can now permanently replace missing teeth without the need for bridges or partials! This often eliminates the need to crown adjacent teeth and greatly simplifies treatment. Also, the longevity of the typical dental implant is FAR GREATER than the average crown, bridge or partial.
Are you tired of struggling with loose dentures? Are you tired of relying upon messy glue to keep them in place while eating or speaking?
If you’re one of the millions of Americans who has wears a denture, you know that you simply can’t chew like you used to. You may not even be able smile like you used to! For many, suffering the embarrassment of losing your teeth has been nothing short of debilitating both dentally and psychologically. In fact, about 30% of denture wearers eat only SOFT FOODS and most avoid many types of food completely. Unfortunately, most Americans have simply become resigned to the notion that nothing could be done to make things better. Studies also show that denture wearers often have a decreased life expectancy as compared to those that still have most of their natural teeth. It is believed that the decreased ability to chew that comes with ill-fitting and loose dentures not only may lead to a poor diet (rich in soft, easy to digest carbohydrates), but a greatly increased difficulty of digestion and nutrient absorbtion. These factors could easily contribute to a weakened immune system and decreased life expectancy.
Now, we can offer you something BETTER! Dental Implants can make your denture ROCK SOLID so you can start enjoying life again!!!
At Sonne and Shapiro Dental, we offer two outstanding systems: MDI-Mini Implant system and the Revois implant system.
SENDAX Mini-Implant
The Sendax MDI-Mini Implant system allows for the IMMEDIATE stabilization of a loose denture. That means that in most cases, within about an hour, we can make your denture ROCK solid!!! These “mini” implants are about the size of a tooth pick, and can be placed directly into the gums with the same amount of anesthesia needed for a typical small dental filling.
REVOIS Implant System
The REVOIS system, or Revolutionary Implant System, is a state-of-the-art dental implant that is excellent not only for denture stabilization but for replacement of single or multiple missing teeth.
It is often placed in the same manner as the mini-implants, with only a small amount of anesthesia needed. Due to its larger size, the Revois implant system usually requires more time for healing prior to putting the implant to work (through chewing or holding a denture) but allows it to be used when the mini-implant is not ideal.
Sometimes even when a tooth can be saved, an implant is a better option!
Often with modern techniques, a badly decayed or fractured tooth can be saved. However, these teeth often require extensive, time consuming work, including root canal therapy, periodontal surgery and a crown. Often, these procedures leave a functional but greatly weakened tooth that often fails sooner rather than later and cost as much or more than an implant.
In these situations, it often makes more sense in the long run to remove the tooth and replace it with an implant!
If you would like to learn more about dental implants and what they can mean to you, we would be happy to offer a complimentary consultation!