Dental Implants

Imagine not feeling embarrassed about your smile again! When you're dealing with a missing tooth, there are a few options you can consider to restore your smile to its natural beauty.

As your Glenview dentists, we always try our best to preserve our patients' natural teeth, but this isn't always possible. Teeth can be lost to decay, disease, trauma, or other medical conditions.

What many people don't realize, however, is that when a tooth is lost or extracted, the job doesn't end there. It's important to replace the missing tooth to preserve optimum oral health!

If left untreated, the site of a missing tooth can cause other problems in your mouth. Nearby teeth may drift into the space left behind by a lost or extracted tooth, causing gaps, an improper bite, loose or crooked teeth.

Over time, the bone of the jaw can also reabsorb, causing a sunken appearance to the face around this missing tooth and making restoration of the site more complex.

In many instances, the best way to restore a missing or extracted tooth is through surgical dental implants. These implants are strong and long-lasting, the closest that modern science has come to recreate natural teeth. With improvements in technology and implant procedures, the success rate of dental implants is about 95%, according to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Dental implants consist of three components: the implant, the crown, and the abutment, which fastens the crown to the implant. The implant itself is made of titanium and threaded on the outside like a screw to securely fasten it into the bone.

We use titanium because it is a biocompatible material, meaning that the body accepts it as a natural part of itself and integrates it into the jawbone, strengthening the bond between the implant and the jawbone. This process is known as osseointegration.

The second part of the implant is the restoration. Restorations can range from a crown, to restore a single tooth, to bridges, to restore two or more missing teeth in a single arch. Implants can even be fitted with special attachments for dentures, allowing removable dentures to be anchored far more securely than traditional dentures.

We'll consider many factors when determining whether dental implants are a good choice for your unique case. Overall health, oral health, and the quantity of jawbone available to anchor the implant are all factors that can increase or decrease the implant's chance of success.

If there is too little bone to securely support an implant, we may be able to perform a bone graft or sinus augmentation to increase the available bone.

Many dentists in Glenview require you to visit a specialist for bone grafts or sinus augmentation, but at Gallery Park Dental, we have advanced training in all specialties of dentistry. This lets us evaluate and perform most procedures in-office and refer to a specialist only for more advanced cases.

• • Dental implants are most commonly used to replace single or multiple missing teeth in conjunction with bridges or dentures.

• • Dental implants also help the shape and density of the jawbone by supporting the facial structure and soft tissues around the gums, cheeks, and lips.

• • The functionality of implants helps you to eat, chew and have a natural-looking smile.

The implant process is done in stages.

• • First, the implant is placed into the jaw and allowed to heal completely. This ensures that osseointegration takes place before the implant is exposed to the stresses of eating and chewing. The healing process usually takes approximately three months in a normal, healthy mouth. Bone grafts or sinus augmentation will lengthen this healing process.

• • Once the implant is healed, we will create a custom-crafted restoration to meet your needs and desired outcome. These restorations are attached to the abutment and placed in the mouth in our Glenview dental office.

• • Once the restoration is in place, it can be cared for just like any other crown or natural tooth, which includes maintaining your daily brushing and flossing habits and visiting us regularly for check-ups and cleanings.

• • Stick to softer foods for the first couple of weeks after surgery. There are plenty of options out there, so you don't have to eat ice cream 24/7! Always remember that even if you're not hungry, you still need nutrition to help with healing.

There are quite a few advantages of getting your implants from Gallery Park Dental, including:

• • Receiving care by dentists like Dr. Gripentrog and Dr. Rogers who have aesthetic expertise in restorative and cosmetic dentistry

• • Continuity of care at a single office and fewer office visits

• • Dental sedation options, if you'd like them

Beyond these advantages, when you journey through your dental implant process with us, you'll be able to include permanent solutions into your long-term dental plan and budget.

Finally, our experience and expertise in restorative and cosmetic dentistry are sure to bring you the results you desire-both in functionality and appearance!

You'll be on your way to smiling brighter when you choose the professionals at Gallery Park Dental for your dental implants.