Dental Implants: The future is now

Dental implants are a popular and effective way to replace missing teeth and are designed to blend in with your other teeth. They are an excellent long-term option for restoring your smile. In fact, the development and use of implants is one of the biggest advances in dentistry in the past 40 years. Dental implants are made up of titanium and other materials that are compatible with the human body. They are posts that are surgically placed in the upper or lower jaw, where they function as a sturdy anchor for replacement teeth.

Advanced, highly precise computer-guided dental implant surgery has made implant procedures faster, highly predicable and long-lasting with a success rate of 97 percent.  3D imaging is changing the practice of dentistry. With state-of-the art digital imaging, dentists can analyze the anatomy of the patient’s jaw without surgery, which saves time and money and shortens implant recovery time. It’s like having the patient’s jaw on the computer screen and helps make implants the most predictable procedure in dentistry today. 

 Life-like 3D images enable the dentist to assess bone density and locate nerves, blood vessels and sinuses before surgery, thereby eliminating uncertainty about which spots in the jawbone are the right sites for implant placement.  The precision of the CT scan and implant surgical planning software give the dentist a vivid map of the patient’s mouth to pinpoint potential problems and plan the entire implant procedure in advance. 

 Also, the superb clarity of the image allows precise insertion of the implant through the gum tissue rather than under it.  This promotes faster healing because gum tissue is preserved.  For some, the entire procedure may take no more than an hour for a single implant. 

If you are self-conscious because you have missing teeth, wear dentures that are uncomfortable or don't want to have good tooth structure removed to make a bridge, talk to your dentist to see if dental implants are an option for you.