Dental Implants in Madison
The Gold Standard for Tooth Replacement
Dental implants have been recognized as the most significant dental innovation of our generation. Our bone actually grows and attaches itself to the medical-grade titanium which results in a replacement tooth that looks and feels completely natural. Dental implants also preserve your jawbone, which becomes vulnerable to shrinkage over time once teeth are lost.
Typically there are three parts to tooth replacement with a dental implant:
First
Implant Placement
The implant is placed into the jaw bone to serve as the root for the new tooth. Implants are typically made of medical-grade titanium, the same metal used in many joint replacements.
Second
Secure Connection
Once it is determined that the implant is firmly joined to the bone, an element is attached to the implant that extends through the soft tissue. This element is called the abutment and will support the new, replaced tooth.
Third
Custom Crown
A crown (or cap) is made that will restore function and esthetics for the patient. The crown is fabricated with a highly durable material that will look and feel like the natural tooth it is replacing.
So What Exactly is a Dental Implant?
Dental implants are small titanium post placed in the bone beneath the gums, where they serve as a replacement tooth roots. Titanium is osteophilic, which means it loves the bone; bone cells will actually attach and integrate with it. The body of the implant includes ridges or threads like a wood screw that also help it anchor to the bone. Dental implants provide immovable support for the natural-looking replacement teeth that are attached to them.
Dental Implant Treatment Options
Dental implants can replace from one to several teeth, even a full arch of missing teeth
Replacing a single tooth
Single Tooth Solution
When you have lost just one tooth, a single implant is inserted into the bone to replace the root part of that tooth; a natural-looking crown then goes on top. A dental implant stays securely anchored in your jaw, giving you a replacement tooth that looks, feels, and functions like a natural tooth. A dental implant is almost always the best replacement for single missing teeth since both partial dentures and fixed bridgework must hook onto existing teeth; this may cause damage or loosening of those surrounding teeth.
Replacing Multiple Teeth
Implant-Supported Restorations
When more than one tooth is missing, you may not need an implant for each one. Instead, implant teeth can act as supports for fixed bridgework. For example, if you are missing three teeth in a row, Dr. Lee can place two implants—one on either side of the gap—and a crown in between that has no implant underneath. This approach restores both the function and appearance of your smile, without the need to alter or rely on your natural teeth for support. This makes them a preferred solution for replacing multiple teeth, providing a result that feels comfortable and looks natural.
Replacing All Teeth
Full Smile Restoration
Implants can anchor a full set of natural-looking replacement teeth that are never removed, or they can secure a removable denture to make it more stable. This is called an overdenture, which is more comfortable, effective, and healthier to wear than a traditional denture. Some overdentures can be secured with as few as two to four dental implants which will prevent it from slipping while you eat and speak. Furthermore, tradition dentures place pressure on the underlying bone causing more rapid destruction and loss of the jaw. Having implants for an overdenture actually supports the bone and decreases the rate of bone loss.
Tooth Replacement Options
The Special Benefits of Dental Implants
No matter how many teeth you need to replace, there are numerous scientific studies demonstrating the ways dental implants surpass other tooth-replacement methods. In general, these fall into two categories; what dental implants do, and what they do not do.
Unlike natural-tooth-supported bridgework, dental implants do not require adjacent healthy teeth to be filed down. Implants do not lead to an increased risk of gum disease, tooth decay, or need for a root canal. Research shows these can all be issues with a traditional bridge that is supported by filed-down natural teeth. Furthermore, studies have shown that bridges may have a failure rate as high as 10% in just 3 years (and up to 30% in 10 years). Dental implants have been shown in studies to have a long term success rate of over 95%.
Unlike removable dentures, implants will not shift or feel uncomfortable. They do not develop odors or need special cleaners and adhesives. They do not restrict what foods you can eat or make you feel uncomfortable about chewing, speaking, or smiling. And, you will never have to worry about them slipping or falling out.
One of the biggest benefits of dental implants is that they can help reduce bone loss in the jaw. The natural erosion of bone begins as soon as a tooth is lost-and, as more tooth loss occurs, may result in the loss of other teeth leading to a sunken, prematurely aged look in one’s facial features, Because dental implants integrate with bone, they provide a stimulus that keeps the jaw-bone from deteriorating. This helps to maintain a more youthful facial structure and better oral health.
Another benefit of implants is the lasting value they offer. While there are other options for tooth replacement that may cost less initially, an investment in dental implants provides benefits that truly endure. With proper care, they can last for the rest of your life.
Dental Implant vs. Bridge
Dental Implants
State-of-the-Art Replacement
Dental implants are considered today’s gold standard for tooth replacement. You own bone can solidly attach to them and they can’t have tooth decay. Therefore, they last longer than any other tooth-replacement option. Implants also help preserve tooth-supporting bone that deteriorates when a tooth is lost. The surgical procedure used to place an implant is topped with a lifelike crown custom-made to match your existing natural teeth. Implants have a documented success rate of over 95%, which is significantly higher than other tooth-replacement options.
Advantages of dental implants:
- Esthetic, functional, predictable, reliable
- Does not affect adjacent teeth
- Cannot have tooth decay
- Will never need root canal treatment
- More cost-effective tooth-replacement option over time
Disadvantage
- More expensive initially
- Requires minor surgery
- Requires healing time before permanent tooth replacement
Bridgework
Traditional Tooth Replacement
Dental bridgework has been used to replace missing teeth for almost a century. A three-unit fixed bridge requires placing dental crowns on two teeth-one on either side of a gap left by a missing tooth-and then using those now compromised teeth to support a third crown in between. A three-unit fixed bridge will cost less initially than a dental implant, and there is no healing period. But a major downside is the need to grind down of healthy teeth that do not need dental work. This can weaken teeth and make them more susceptible to decay and gum disease.
Advantages of Bridgework:
- Esthetic, functional, predictable, reliable
- Less initial cost
- Requires less time for final result
Disadvantage
- Requires the removal of enamel and some dentin from the adjacent teeth
- If the adjacent teeth have crowns, they must be redone
- Future tooth decay is a potential problem
- Root canal treatment may be required
- Less longevity than implants
Consequences of Tooth Loss
Adversely affecting your health
If any of your teeth are missing, the consequences can be profound, both physically and emotionally. Favorite foods become difficult to enjoy (or even to eat at all), and social interactions become more challenging.
Yet there are effects of tooth loss that are not immediately obvious-even to those experiencing them. It is important to be aware of these hidden consequences, because they can adversely affect your health in ways that become harder to remedy over time.
Plus, knowing what happens to your mouth after teeth are lost can help you decide on the best way to replace them.
Use It or Lose It
Tooth Loss Causes Bone Loss
Bone needs stimulation to maintain its volume and density. In the case of the bone that surrounds and supports your teeth, that stimulation comes from the teeth touching each other in chewing, speech and normal activity, hundreds of times throughout the day. These stresses prompt the bone underneath each tooth to rebuild continually, maintaining bone density. When a tooth is lost, the stimulation it once provided ceases. This causes the supporting bone in the jaw to shrink in a process called resorption. The longer the tooth is missing, the greater the amount of bone loss. Wearing removable dentures accelerates this process because of the way they press on the bony ridge.
Studies have shown that during the first year after tooth loss there is a 25% decrease in width of bone, and, over the next few years, an overall 4-millimeter decrease in height. Loss of bone makes a person look much older and can make an individual more prone to jaw fractures. As if all of this wasn’t enough to worry about, there’s the risk of malnutrition. As teeth are lost, it becomes more difficult to eat and chew food effectively. Unfortunately, the healthier foods – raw fruits and vegetables – usually become the most difficult to chew for toothless people.
Maintaining Healthy Bone
Dental Implants stimulate your jawbone
None of these problems need occur when missing teeth are replaced with natural-looking prosthetic teeth supported by dental implants. Besides helping a person without teeth look and feel great again, they can actually help prevent bone loss. No other tooth-replacement option offers this important health benefit.
A primary reason to consider dental implants to replace missing teeth, then, is the maintenance of the jawbone. As described earlier, your jawbone needs stimulation to stay healthy. Because implants are made of titanium, bone will attach to them, and maintain bone density. Replacement teeth supported by dental implants do not put pressure on the gums or the surfaces of the bony ridges of your mouth the way that removable dentures do. They also do not compromise adjacent healthy teeth, as standard dental bridges do. In fact, as time goes by, and you continue to enjoy life with great-looking, functional teeth, you’ll hardly think about the fact that you have dental implants. Best of all, they will likely never need to be replaced – your investment will still be paying dividends far into the future.
