Are You Needing Dental Implants?
If you are missing one permanent tooth or multiple teeth, dental implants can restore your smile to its near-original condition. What’s more, since implants fuse with your jawbone, they mimic the strength and durability of your natural teeth. At Howe Dental Associates, our dentists, Dr. Michael Weiner, Dr. John Choi and Dr. Carol Cabello, can use dental implants to restore our patients’ smiles. To see if you are a candidate, make an appointment by calling the office or clicking the online booking tool today.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are replacement tooth roots made of titanium or another durable metal. Dental implants are not bonded in place. Instead, they fuse with your jawbone. Typically, Dr. Weiner, Dr. Choi or Dr. Cabello will place one implant for every missing tooth.
Each dental implant features a metal attachment called an abutment that connects to a prosthetic tooth replacement. In addition to filling gaps in your smile, dental implants restore your chewing abilities and lower your risk of gum disease and bone decay.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?
If you are healthy enough to undergo a routine dental procedure like an extraction, you are probably a good candidate for dental implants. However, you should also have healthy gums and enough bone to hold the implants in place.
If you smoke cigarettes, use chewing tobacco or you are living with a chronic illness like high blood pressure or diabetes, share this information with Dr. Weiner, Dr. Choi or Dr. Cabello. Although these factors won’t necessarily disqualify you from receiving dental implants, they can increase your risk of complications.
What Is the Process for Getting Dental Implants?
Getting dental implants typically takes between six months and one year and a series of three or more appointments. Though this may seem like an extended period of time, it’s important to remember that with proper care, dental implants can last a lifetime.
The first step for receiving dental implants is dental implant surgery. However, if you have gum disease or your jawbone isn’t healthy, Dr. Weiner, Dr. Choi or Dr. Cabello might recommend osseous surgery or a bone graft operation first.
Osseous surgery is a type of oral surgery that involves Dr. Weiner, Dr. Choi or Dr. Cabello removing or recontouring damaged bone around your remaining teeth. The process eliminates bacteria and helps your gum tissue better attach to your jawbone. A bone graft involves Dr. Weiner, Dr. Choi or Dr. Cabello taking a bone from another part of your body or using synthetic material and surgically grafting it to your jaw. This process provides a stronger base for your implants.
Once your jaws are healthy enough to receive the implants — a process that can take anywhere between three and six months — Dr. Weiner, Dr. Choi or Dr. Cabello will administer a local anesthetic and place the implants in the socket of each missing tooth. You will wait another three to six months for your gums and jaw to heal before returning for your next appointment.
At this appointment, you receive an abutment, or metal connector, that extends the implant. You will wait another week or two until your gums heal and then return for your final appointment.
At your last appointment, Dr. Weiner, Dr. Choi or Dr. Cabello will take impressions of your teeth. They will upload your impressions into the CEREC® milling machine and create a series of custom crowns on-site. After finishing your custom crowns, Dr. Weiner, Dr. Choi or Dr. Cabello will administer local anesthesia and screw all of your replacement teeth on top of the abutments.
After placing your implants, Dr. Weiner, Dr. Choi or Dr. Cabello will provide you with a list of careful recovery instructions.
Don’t let one or more missing teeth negatively impact your confidence or self-esteem. Request your dental implants consultation in Passaic, New Jersey, with our dentists by calling the office at 973-365-1931 or clicking the online booking tool today.