Dental Implants

A dental implant is a small, titanium screw tooth that is actually placed into your jaw bone in order to support a dental crown or bridge.

Dental Implants have three parts:

• Titanium screw – a screw is carefully inserted into your jaw bone. It is then left there to completely fuse with your jaw bone so it can completely support your artificial teeth.
• Abutment – this connects the screw to your artificial tooth/teeth.
• Artificial tooth/teeth – this is in in the form of a dental crown or dental bridge.

A dental implant is placed at the first visit. Then 4-6 months later, after the implant is fully integrated, the healing abutment is placed in preparation to fabricate an implant crown. One of the benefits of having a dental implant placed is that you won’t suffer jaw bone loss. Oftentimes, in the case of missing teeth or even the use of dentures, your jaw bone will resorb because it isn’t connected to active teeth any longer. Dental implants keep your jaw bone intact and provide the comfort and function of your natural teeth.

On top of maintaining your jaw bone, dental implants offer several benefits. They will help to prevent gum recession in the areas where you had missing teeth. Oftentimes, a bridge requires three teeth to be affected, whereas a dental implant is a single tooth replacement, so it is often cost-effective and helps to prevent multiple teeth from being prepared for crowns to support the missing tooth. Our dental implants in Okemos don’t use any types of adhesive, so you will be able to have confidence in your teeth when eating or speaking. They are also custom-matched to your tooth color so they blend in flawlessly with your smile.

In order to ensure that your dental implant procedure will be successful, it is very important that we assess a few factors. Ideal candidates are in good overall health and need to have enough jaw bone to support the implant. It is also imperative that we address the health of your gum tissues and remedy any signs of periodontitis prior to placing dental implants. Dr. Tenaglia does a detailed exam and uses a CBCT (which takes a 3D-image of your head and neck) to guide her in proper implant placement.

Additionally, it is ideal for candidates to be non-smokers or at least be able to commit to not smoking for a time before and after treatment. If you are a smoker, that does not necessarily disqualify you from being a candidate for implants, so always ask Dr. Tenaglia first. first. If there are issues with your jaw bone or your sinuses, there are treatment options for both of those that can make you a candidate for dental implants.

If you are missing all of your teeth or large sections of teeth, we can place a few implants, then secure your bridge or dentures to the implants. These are long-lasting options that can be a great solution for multiple missing teeth as they help prevent bone loss and are more reliable than adhesive-placed dentures.