Dental Implants

A dental implant is a titanium "root" used in dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth to replace missing teeth. It has the general shape of a tooth root and is placed inside the jaw bone, just like the lost tooth it is intended to replace.

Dental implants can be used to support tooth shaped crowns, bridges-a series of teeth in a row connected together, or dentures—removable prostheses to replace missing teeth. They can also be used for tooth movement in orthodontics.

For dental implant procedure to work, there must be enough bone in the jaw, and the bone has to be strong enough to hold and support the implant. If there is not enough bone, more may need to be added with a bone graft procedure called bone augmentation. In addition, natural teeth and supporting tissues near where the implant will be placed must be in good health. During your initial visit, the Dr Bral will evaluate these and other factors to determine the success of the implant treatment.
Sometimes the implants are placed after a certain period to allow for healing of the extraction area.

Sometimes they are placed at the same time as a tooth is removed. It is becoming an increasingly common strategy to place a dental implant into a recent extraction site in order to preserve bone and reduce treatment times. In addition, due to increased success rates for these procedures, in certain cases the we can place the tooth on the implant at the time of placing the implant. This procedure is called “immediate loading” and can cut months off the treatment time. Ask us if this procedure is right for you during the initial consultation visit.