According to the American College of Prosthodontics, 40 million Americans have lost all their teeth and 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth. When your natural teeth are lost, the physical structure and functionalities of your mouth suffer a setback. That is why, at Treasure Valley Oral & Facial Surgery, we offer dental implant treatments for people who suffer from tooth loss.
What Can You Expect in a Dental Implant Procedure
Dental implants serve as replacements to your natural tooth roots that have been lost. These implants provide a stable and strong foundation for an artificial tooth that can restore the appearance and function of your missing tooth. Dental implant surgery is an outpatient surgery which requires multiple sessions and recovery time between each surgery.
At Treasure Valley Oral & Facial Surgery, Dr. Cole Anderson will first administer anesthesia and remove the diseased tooth if it is still present. We will then make a small hole in the gums and jawbone to fit the dental implant.This dental implant will be allowed to fuse with the jawbone in a process called osseointegration. Osseointegration can take anywhere between 3 months to a full year to occur, depending on many factors like your jaw health and overall health.
Once the implant has fused to the jawbone, we make a small incision in your gums to expose the implant. A connecting rod known as an abutment is attached to the implant and the artificial crown is affixed on top of the abutment. Although the process of getting a dental implant is pretty straightforward, it can take a whole year to finish because several months are required for the healing process. In case a bone graft is required, this treatment may take even longer.
When is a Bone Graft Required?
When you lose your teeth, parts of your jawbone are resorped, resulting in low jawbone density. If your jawbone is too soft, it will not be able to adequately support the dental implant resulting in implant failure. That is because chewing can exert a lot of pressure on the implant and if it is not fixed in place, it will not be successful. Hence a bone graft surgery may be necessary.
At Treasure Valley Oral & Facial Surgery, we can acquire bone grafting material from your own body, a human donor, an animal, or from a synthetic, lab-made product. We will then make a small incision on the place which requires bone augmentation and pack it with the bone grafting material to promote bone growth. This process can take several months to complete, depending on the health of your jaw. Once the bone augmentation process is completed, though, your jaw will have regained its strength and integrity.
Implant-Supported Dentures
If you have lost multiple or all teeth, a more conservative option than getting dental implants on every single empty socket is to get an implant-supported denture. This is a type of overdenture that involves both fixed and removable components. Two to eight implants are needed to support a removable full arch of artificial ceramic or acrylic teeth. This arch is attached to the implants by a metal bar that spans the length of the arch or by ball-shaped sockets.
All-on-4 Treatment Concept
All-on-4 Treatment concept involves four implants on the upper and lower arch to support a full set of artificial teeth. The two implants at the back of the jaw are tilted at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees, providing them access to the denser bone at the back of the jaw and increasing stability. One big advantage of All-on-4 Treatment concept is that because of the angle of the two implants, some candidates may not need to undergo a bone grafting surgery. Hence, this procedure also takes a shorter amount of time than implant-supported dentures.
Advantages of Dental Implants
Dental implants have many advantages, including:
| • | Improved aesthetics of your mouth. |
| • | Restored chewing and speaking ability. |
| • | Improved comfort. |
| • | Prevention of alveolar bone loss and deterioration. |
| • | Improved self-confidence. |
| • | Increased durability. |
Dental implants have an average success rate of about 92%. With proper oral care and lifestyle habits, your dental implants can last you a lifetime. If you are interested in getting dental implants, call us at (208) 343-0909 today to schedule a consultation with us.
