Dental Implants

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are metal posts that are placed in the jawbone to replace teeth which have been removed. This process can be very simple or quite complicated depending upon your individual case. As a first step in obtaining information as to whether or not you are an implant candidate, we suggest that you see your general dentist. If your dentist evaluates your mouth and thinks that you may be an implant candidate, he may suggest that you see an oral and maxillofacial surgeon to obtain a second opinion.

What are some of the more common ways that implants can be used?

Some people with lower dentures find that the dentures cause pain, and it moves around too much when they chew. Perhaps the simplest and one of the more common ways of using implants is to hold a lower denture firmly in place. Another common use for implants is to replace a front tooth which was lost due to an injury or severe decay. Implants are also commonly used to create a dental bridge, especially in the back of the mouth to improve the patient's chewing ability. In some cases, implants can be used to restore all of the missing teeth, but as you can imagine, this is quite complex.