The Advantages of Dental Implants
Posted by drbijanafar on April 15, 2008
There are many advantages of doing dental, or oral implants, especially for people who are in mid-life with periodontal disease, and they are a great alternative to old fashioned dentures. Patients no longer have to put up with discolored, broken teeth, or worse, spaces from teeth that have fallen out. When both the tooth and the root are beyond repair, an implant replaces the tooth root with a small titanium peg or screw. Dental implants are basically substitutes for natural tooth roots and they rely on the bone for support.
An oral implant is a permanent replacement for a complete tooth, and it feels and functions virtually just like a natural tooth. There are no compromises about what you can eat. You can also choose the color of your new implants to match your other teeth for a beautiful smile.
There are several categories of oral implants – from endosseous to sub periosteal – as well as a number of types of implants, including internal or external hex, all of which are effective for patients, and in fact there is not really much evidence that any particular implant, surface treatment or prosthetic attachment, offers an advantage for the patient.
Lately you have probably heard about something called, “Teeth in an Hour” where you can actually get brand new dental implants immediately, rather than waiting the typical three to six months.
On the other hand, Teeth in an Hour is a method using three dimensional radiographic scans for an accurate representation of your jaw. This is then made into a mechanical template allowing the placement of implants with extreme precision. It actually enables us to make up the final restoration teeth on the model, and then transfer it exactly to your jaw.
Using the template in the patient’s mouth, the implants are precisely placed and then the new teeth are attached. Basically, you can leave within and hour or two with a complete new set of teeth.
Most people can get their new teeth right away rather than waiting, plus they will also benefit from faster healing. The implant surgery and placement is very precise. However, one drawback is that this type of oral implant treatment is much more expensive than the old fashioned way of placing implants and waiting until they are ready for the new teeth.
Patients who are healthy enough to have a tooth pulled are good candidates for implants. Our office is equipped with a computerized tomography (CT) program which is known as “SIMPLANT.” It is a program that analyzes the three dimensional images of a CT scan for dental implant patients. The analysis allows us to measure bone density, height, and width and select the most suitable dental implants.
The end result is as comfortable as natural teeth, efficient and great looking! At our Wilshire Dental Clinic offices, we do both oral implants and Teeth in an Hour, so don’t hesitate to call us for an appointment at 323.938.6137.
