Dental implants are small, titanium metal anchors that act as tooth root substitutes. Being titanium, these fixtures are totally biocompatible. That means there is no fear of rejection. The surgery is completed in one to a few hours in our office. A hospital stay is not necessary. Often, patients drive home or return to work following dental implant surgery. Most cases are completed in one or two working visits. When addressing visible tooth loss, patients always leave with teeth in place to restore their smiles.
All implants are placed with the assistance of local anesthetic, for maximum patient comfort. Oral sedation, 2-3 pills, can also be prescribed if additional relaxation is requested. Directly after surgery, or the next day if sedated, many patients will resume their normal daily activity. Most patients are very impressed with the ease of these procedures. We find that many of our patients are repeat customers, if additional teeth are lost in the future.
What is ‘atrophy’ and how do dental implants help?
When teeth are lost, the jawbones are not stimulated to grow or retain their mass. Any bone in the human body that is no longer stimulated begins to lose mass and then becomes smaller. This is where the old joke comes in: “Use it or lose it.” This is known as ‘atrophy’. The effects of atrophy can be seen in the sunken face appearance of a patient who has lost teeth and has done nothing to restore that loss.
The jaws begin to shrink while the facial form begins to sink. This sunken face profile accentuates the aging process.
When correctly placed, dental implants continue to stimulate the jaw bones. By doing so, the bone mass is preserved and that sunken facial appearance is avoided.
Bone Grafting Overview
For a brief narrated overview of the bone grafting process, please click the image below. It will launch our flash educational MiniModule in a separate window that may answer some of your questions about bone grafting.
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What is ‘atrophy’ and how do dental implants help?