Dental Implants
Philadelphia, Main Line, and Ardmore, Pennsylvania Cosmetic Dentistry.
Implant dentistry can also enhance your smile, restoring the self-confidence imparted by a full, healthy smile. Beauty benefits of dental implants include:
Dental implants are designed to work like your natural teeth. Whether they are supporting a single tooth crown … Click to go to the page of Crowns & Bridges … or another type of restoration, dental implants provide a stable, secure foundation. By serving as tooth roots, dental implants make it possible to replace the entire missing tooth.
Dental implants restore appearance and function to the mouth through a combination of three components:
After being positioned in the space where your tooth root used to be, the dental implant will fuse with the jaw bone over time. Once the implant is fully integrated, Dr. Marshall … Click to go to the page of Dr Lindsey Marshall … will customize the crown or other restoration so that it fits your bite comfortably and closely matches the shape and color of the surrounding natural teeth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your common questions answered by the experts.
- Am I a Candidate for Dental Implants?
The Dental implants that we provide are a highly successful type of dental restoration, with success rates of about 98%, according to many studies. However, this high success rate depends partly on an implant dentist selecting the best candidates for the procedure. Before beginning the dental implant procedure, Dr. Marshall will review your medical history and thoroughly examine your mouth to determine whether or not this restoration is a suitable tooth replacement option for you.
The ideal candidates for dental implants are patients who:
- Have one or more missing teeth.
- Have a healthy mouth, as well as good overall health.
- Have sufficient bone density, width, and height to hold the implant securely.
- Have a good bite.
- Are free from gum disease.
- Are not taking medications that may impact bone healing.
- Don’t smoke, or are willing to quit prior to the placement of dental implants.
Dr. Lindsey Marshall has found that most people are healthy enough and have the necessary bone density to make dental implants a viable option for replacing one or more missing teeth. Even if you do not meet all these characteristics, you may still be a good candidate for dental implants, but you may need additional procedures before getting dental implants.
- Who Is Not a Candidate for Dental Implants?If you do not have enough bone to support an implant, you may need a bone graft to increase bone in that area. Gum disease will have to be treated before your dental implants are placed.
If you are a smoker, you will have to quit smoking for at least for a short period before receiving dental implants. It’s best if you quit completely, however, because studies have shown that smoking can significantly impact the odds of success with dental implants. One study showed that the dental implant failure rate was as high as 30% in heavy smokers.
- What Should I Expect during a Dental Implants Procedure?Dental implants work by being surgically placed in the ridge beneath your gums. The implant is inserted in the space of the missing tooth, or multiple implants may be placed in strategic locations to support dentures or a dental bridge.
While you are anesthetized, the dental implants are placed beneath your gums. Over the next several months, the implant and the bone in which it was placed fuse together, forming a durable and stable foundation for the replacement tooth.
These implants provide a secure base for your tooth restorations. Because they are surgically implanted in bone, your replacement teeth will not move around. They provide optimal function, remaining secure and acting like a natural tooth.
The way dental implants work – by replacing the entire tooth – make them a highly effective, durable tooth replacement option. However, they may or may not be right for you. Because they require surgery, Dr. Lindsey Marshall will review your medical history and your oral health to make sure you are a good candidate. We are committed to finding the right option for you.
- What Can Happen If I Don’t Replace My Missing Teeth?If you are missing teeth, it affects your entire mouth, so it’s better to get them sooner rather than later. Missing teeth can cause your other teeth to shift, leading to bite issues that can damage implants. Your body also begins removing bone from the area where it is no longer needed to support a tooth, and having a missing tooth is an increased risk for periodontal disease.
- Will Dental Implants Improve My Overall Health?Dental implants not only replace missing teeth but also fill the space in the jawbone formerly occupied by the tooth roots. As the site of the implant heals, the prosthetic is absorbed into the jaw, anchoring the replacement tooth (usually a dental crown … Click to go to the page of Crowns & Bridges … ) to fit the rest of your teeth.
Because the procedure replaces both the tooth and the root, dental implants can improve the health and function of multiple systems within the mouth, including:
- Everyday activities: Chewing, speaking, smiling, laughing, etc.
- Oral health: Proper dental hygiene and regular teeth cleanings can prevent further tooth loss, keep your natural teeth healthy and retain the function and durability of your dental implant.
- Gum health: Missing teeth cause your mouth to change over time, with gum tissue receding around the gap; using a dental implant combats receding gums.
- Bone health: Dental implants prevent the bone loss associated with missing teeth, maintaining the strength and function of your jawbone.
- Better bite: Filling in the gap left by a missing tooth can help align the upper and lower teeth, making everyday activities.
- How Soon Can I Return to Normal Eating Habits after Placement of a Dental Implant?In the months between implant placement and tooth placement, you can eat as usual as the healing is happening under the gum.
- What Are Implant-Supported Dentures?Implant-supported dentures are dentures that affix to dental implants placed in your jawbone for support. This helps them remain fixed when you talk and eat. With implant-supported dentures, you can eat and talk more easily and avoid embarrassing moments when dentures come loose in public.
Dentures supported by implants are more commonly used in the lower jaw, where it can be harder to fit traditional dentures.
Denture-supported implants still rest on top of the gums and are removable for cleaning.
- What Are Partial Dentures?Partial dentures, sometimes also called partials, are removable false teeth made from ceramic materials and set in an acrylic base designed to look like your gums. Partials can be used to replace one absent tooth to nearly an entire row of missing teeth.
Generally, the denture is held in place by a framework of hooks and wires around the teeth close to the gap. Partials can also be supported by dental implants, depending on your tooth replacement needs.
- Why Choose Dentures?Most often, dental implants are used to anchor artificial teeth directly in your jawbone, making them comparable to your natural teeth. But sometimes you may elect to get implant-supported dentures instead.
If you don’t have enough bone in the jaw in all the places necessary to support full tooth replacement, then implant-supported dentures may be an option. They may also be the more cost-effective option for you.
The Dental implants that our practice recommends provides a permanent, stable foundation for restoring both the aesthetic and function of your mouth after losing one or more teeth. In addition to a revitalized smile, dental implants can also improve the health of your teeth, gums, and jaw.
Some of the benefits of dental implants include:
There are several variations of a traditional dental implant procedure. Depending on how many teeth you are missing and where they are located in relation to one another, dental implants may be attached to dentures or dental bridges instead of a dental crown … Click to go to the page of Crowns & Bridges … .
When used with a tooth crown, a dental implant replaces a single tooth. If you are missing multiple teeth, it may make sense to use a dental-implant-supported bridge or implant-supported denture.
- Robert H.
– Betsy L.
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