Restore your smile! Replace your Missing Teeth with Dental Implants from Hampton Dental Associates.
With all of the advancements in modern dental care, you’d think that tooth loss would be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, as we at Hampton Dental Associated and many people in Milwaukee area know, people still lose their teeth due to gum disease, poor home dental hygiene, and trauma. However, dental implants provide a more aesthetic and permanent option for fake teeth than traditional dental bridges or dentures.
At Hampton Dental Associates, we are committed to restoring your smile and confidence with quality dental implants.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are prosthetic replacements for missing teeth. Implants are like “bone screws” and once they are inserted into a person’s jaw they can:
- Replace a single tooth.
- Be used to make a bridge which replaces adjacent missing teeth
- They can be used to hold a denture in place via snaps or attachments that were placed in the implants.
- They can hold on to a bar that a denture will snap on to called a “bar-overdenture.”
- They can be used to permanently hold a denture in place called a “hybrid” prosthesis.
- They can hold a permanent bridge replacing an entire arch of missing teeth!
What are the three parts of a dental implant?
The Post
The implant device itself, inserted directly into the jawbone.
The Abutment
This is often called a “chimney” as it screws into the implant and will become the foundation to hold on to the new crown. This abutment can also have a ‘“snap”screwed into it for a Locator Snap-on-Denture.
Abutments are devices that help us to hold a prosthesis onto the implant and they can be made in several styles, materials and shapes depending upon the type of final prosthesis selected. Abutments can be made out of titanium, zirconia and can be made as custom pieces or pre-fabricated pieces from the implant company.
The Dental Restoration
The part visible above the gum line, consisting of dentures, a dental crown, or a dental bridge.
These restorations can be referred to as Hybrids, Zirconia bridges, porcelain fused to gold bridges, Overdentures, Snap-on-dentures and porcelain fused to gold bridges.
The Post
The Dental Restoration
Benefits of Dental Implants
Dental implants have two main benefits over traditional options for missing teeth. First, the implant bonds or integrates with the underlying jawbone. Since they have been designed to take the place of tooth roots they must be fully integrated into the bone prior to making a final restoration. Implants will feel as natural and as sturdy as a patient’s original teeth. Secondly, dental implants do not impact surrounding teeth, lead to bone loss or cause gum recession, which can occur with traditional bridgework and dentures. Since your natural teeth are left intact, the implant provides significant long-term benefit to your oral health.Dental implants also give patients a boost in confidence. Patients can eat foods they have avoided, smile and talk without being self-conscious, and know that their dental restoration will stay firmly in place. Dental implants are incredibly reliable.
The Dental Implant Consultation
During your consultation at our Milwaukee office, your dentist will discuss your tooth replacement and dental implant options in depth. Almost anyone fit enough to undergo a routine dental extraction or oral surgery is a good candidate for a dental implant. The dentist at Hampton Dental Associates will examine if you have sufficient jawbone mass and healthy gum tissue, free of periodontal disease.
Who is a good candidate for dental implants?
Patients who practice good oral hygiene and visit their dentist for regular checkups are good candidates for this procedure. Smokers, people who have uncontrolled chronic disorders, or those who have underlying health conditions may be required to undergo evaluation on an individual basis.
Dr. Winter, ABOI/ID Diplomate
The ABOI/ID Diplomate designation shows the highest level of competence in implant dentistry. Dr. Richard Winter is one of only 550 dentists in the United States to be an ABOI/ID diplomate.
Types of Dental Implants
Hampton Dental Associates offer three main types of implants:
- Traditional Implants
- Mini Dental Implants
- Same Day Dental Implants
Your dentist will speak to you about which option is best for you during your consultation.
The Dental Implant Procedure
- Local anesthesia is usually adequate for these outpatient procedures, but in more involved cases intravenous sedation may also be used.
- The first part of the implant process consists of surgically burying the implant into the jawbone. It is placed beneath the gum to protect the implant from any force while it is healing for several months.
- After a period of bone healing, your dentist will surgically expose the implant and place a healing cap which will connect the implant to the outside world and allow the soft tissue to heal properly prior to making the implant restoration.
- The surgeon then fixes posts, or abutments onto the implant. The gum is permitted to settle around the abutment and form a cuff or collar. This stage will provide the dentist with access to the implant when preparing the final restorative stage.
- Once the implants have had an opportunity to heal and have been tested for effective integration, the restorative dental work is then affixed to the successfully osseointegrated implants.
More Information on Dental Implants
Read “General Dentistry as a Speciality”, the published article on the patient features on this page.
Click here to read more about this Dental Implant patient case study.
Call 414-464-9021 for information on any of our services.
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