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Dental Implants

Implants have revolutionized restorative dentistry.  An implant is basically a titanium screw which is anchored in the bone.  They can be used to replace one or more missing teeth. Implant retained teeth are the closest thing we have to real teeth.   Implants can also be used to hold dentures in place. Patients no longer have to live with dentures which flop around in their mouths.  At Advanced Family Dentistry, implants can be placed by one of our four surgeons than restored by one of our general dentists. This means that everything can be done at one office which least to better communication, results and cost savings to the patient.

 

Implant Services Offered at Advanced Family Dentistry

Single Tooth Implant
Probably the best and longest lasting way to replace a single tooth is with a dental implant.  The implant is placed by one of our surgeons. We then make natural looking tooth which is either screwed to cemented to the implant.  We recommend screw-retained crowns made of zirconia which is a tooth-colored material much stronger than porcelain which means less chance it will chip or break.

Missing Several Teeth
If you are missing several teeth, multiple implants can be placed and restored to look and feel like your normal teeth.

Missing All Your Teeth
Implants have been a huge improvement over just trying to wear a denture.

Smile Before and After | Advanced Family Dentistry | Dentist in Cedar Park TX

Dentures

Least expensive way to replace all your missing teeth.  Problem is, a denture is basically a suction cup with teeth attached to it.  They move around when you try to eat. You can no longer eat the foods you want to eat, you have to eat the foods you can eat.  This means you are eating soft foods which are easier to chew and digest. You normally have to use adhesive with dentures to try to at least get a decent fit.  It is also recommended to take your denture out at night while you sleep. The other problem is that without teeth, your bone shrinks, so over time, your denture fits less and less tight.

Implant Retained Denture
you can have 2-4 implants placed and make an implant retained denture (referred to as an overdenture).  Overdentures are tight. They are held in by implants and the gum tissue. You can eat most foods with overdentures.  The denture can be removed, so you can brush your implants to keep them clean and free of infection.

All-On-4 System
If you do not want something removable, this may be an option for you. 4-6 implants are placed and a bridge is made which screws onto the implants (as seen on Clear Choice commercials)  The bridge functions and feels more like your natural teeth than a denture. The problems with this system are that the surgery is long and evasive. Plus the bridge is hard to clean under.  If the implants are not cleaned well on a daily basis they will fail. There is also disagreement on maintenance. Some dental schools recommend removing the every 1-2 years to check the implants and replacing the screws which hold the bridge in place.  Other schools recommend only removing the bridge if there seems to be a problem with the implants. Because of this, maintenance can be expensive. Due to the evasive surgery needed for all-on-4’s we do not do the surgery at our office, we do it at an oral surgery office.

Conus Abutment System
This is a new restorative system for missing all your teeth.  If you do not want a removable denture, this may be another option for you.  Special attachments are made which fit into the implants. A hybrid bridge (something held in by implants only) is made instead of a denture similar to the all-on-4.  The bridge is held in by friction rather than by screws. Because of this, the patient can remove the bridge using a dental tool and clean the implants and bridge which lessens the chance of the implants failing.  Advantages over the all-on-4 are: easier for the patient to maintain, low maintenance costs, the surgery is much less invasive, plus the overall cost is lower. Advanced Family Dentistry is one of the only dental offices in the Austin area offering this service.

Common Dental Implant Questions

What is a dental implant?

A dental implant is a small titanium cylinder that is surgically inserted into a patient’s jaw to replace a missing tooth’s root. Bone tissue in the jaw fuses with the dental implant, and after several months the link between bone and implant is strong enough to allow the implant to support a prosthetic. The bone-implant bond is so strong that the implant can remain in place for decades after it is placed, as long as the patient follows directions for maintaining the implant.

Am I a candidate for dental implants?

Dental implants can be suitable for a range of tooth loss scenarios, and many patients will be able to take advantage of this treatment technology. We encourage you to come to our office for an evaluation to determine whether dental implants will be a good fit for you.

There are some cases in which patients will not be good candidates for immediate dental implant placement. The quality of bone tissue at the implant site is essential to long-term dental implant success, so if you have experienced bone loss after your tooth loss, it can compromise the osseointegration process.

Congenital bone defects may also present a barrier to dental implant placement. In these cases, bone grafts can provide supplemental bone tissue at the implant sites and allow patients to benefit from dental implants in the future. Additionally, children and younger teens are not good candidates for dental implant placement because their jaws are still developing, and an implant placed in a growing jaw could shift out of place. In these cases, space can be held for later implant placement when jawbone development is complete.

Patients also need to be healthy enough to tolerate the surgery needed for dental implant placement and will need to abstain from tobacco use, at least while healing from the procedure. It’s best to cut out tobacco use completely after getting dental implants.

How do implants prevent bone loss?

Dental implants function similarly to biological tooth roots, which are the most underappreciated portion of a tooth. They do so much to contribute to the stability of our smiles, including anchoring the jawbone. Because dental implants are essentially pseudo roots, they do the same thing, preventing the jawbone erosion that accompanies conventional tooth replacement devices.

How many teeth can be replaced with dental implants?

Dental implants are appropriate for different tooth loss scenarios, including single tooth replacement, as well as restoring a small number of teeth or even an entire upper or lower arch. Furthermore, as few as four dental implants can be used to support an entire denture, and they can be placed in a single appointment that takes just a few hours. For this reason, this treatment approach is sometimes called “Teeth in a Day”.