Dental Implants

Actual Dental Implants Patients in Creve Coeur

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What are Dental Implants?

A dental implant is an artificial post implanted into the jaw bone. It is generally made of titanium and covered with a porcelain crown or a bridge to give the appearance of real teeth.

Implants are very durable and will last many years. Dental implants can restore almost any smile even if natural teeth have been lost.

The success rate for implants is remarkable: 98 percent for lower implants and 91 percent for upper implants.

Many people who consider implants have removable, conventional dentures for lower and upper jaws, or have removable bridges. These people experience a significant improvement in their ability to chew food comfortably after their dental implant treatment.

The Dental Implant Procedure

The implant team usually includes either a periodontist or an oral and maxillofacial surgeon whoimplants the posts into the patient’s mouth, and a dentist who designs and fits the replacement teeth orpermanent bridge. At the first appointment, we use an X-ray to determine if the jaw bone is adequateto hold the titanium posts. Models of the mouth are often made using a soft, pliable plastic compound.These models show where the gaps are located and provide measurements for a replacement tooth or abridge.

The implants being placed often only require one surgical procedure using a local anesthetic andoccasionally a sedative. Upon healing, Dr. Schuman will restore the implant with a “tooth” orprosthetic to finalize the treatment.

Schedule an office visit with our specialist Dr. Allison Zaromb, to see if implants can improve your smile and life.