What are dental implants?
Dental Implant with related components
Dental implants are screw-like titanium, or more recently, Zirconia posts that are placed into the jawbone. The vast majority of current dental implants are serrated similar to screws. The serrated part of dental implants is surface enhanced or etched to allow for the bonding and integration of the implant into the jawbone. A complete dental implant that is fully restored has three parts: “see Illustration”.
Parts of a Dental Implant
1. Implant: The screw-like post
2. Abutment: Goes on top of the implant. Helps retain the crown
3. Crown: Goes on top of the abutment and is the final restoration.
Are you a candidate for implant dentistry?
In general, if you are healthy enough to undergo a tooth extraction procedure, you are most likely healthy enough to be candidate for a dental implant procedure. There is bone width and height requirements as the dental implant should be surrounded by at least 2mm of bone for adequate support. Additional bone grafting procedures may be required in situations where bone width and height are deficient.
There are some medical conditions that may prevent you from being a candidate for dental implants. During your consultation appointment our doctors will discuss your particular situation. The most important and accurate diagnostic tool for the evaluation and planning of dental implant surgery is a CT Scan. We feel that an implant surgery should never be carried out without a CT scan as it offers the most accurate three dimensional representation of bone, sinuses, nerve spaces and other vital structures that should be avoided during implant surgery.
CT scans can also aid the doctor in selecting the exact diameter and height of the implant(s). We can only cover this question to a certain extent. More of the details regarding whether or not you are a good candidate for implants are patient specific and can be discussed during your Complimentary Implant and CT Scan Consultation. Feel free to contact one of our offices for your complimentary consult and to individually discuss your particular situation at 503-719-7759.
Our Philosophy on Dental Implants
Our dental implant philosophy is centered on patients and their specific needs. Our goal is to provide our patients with a dental implant that will provide the most successful outcome long term. This is, in part, why we are able to provide our patients with a five year replacement warranty on dental implants and all fixed restorations, including dental veneers, dental crowns, and dental bridges. The only requirement is to maintain your regular cleanings and exams. To date, this guarantee has been matched by no one locally.
Every implant patient presents a situation that is unique only to them. The diversity of these situations requires the use of several dental implant systems as a single implant system cannot meet all of the unique situations that various patients present.
Utilizing a single dental implant system in an implant dentistry clinic is a common practice as it is more cost effective, since dental implant manufacturers provide incentives for exclusivity. We have the ability to utilize several dental implant systems to accommodate the different situations our patients present. Our recent integration of metal free dental implants is one example of our ability to provide different options for our patients.