What are dental implants?

If a tooth cannot be saved due to the extent of the cavity or fracture, an extraction is required. But all is not lost: a dental implant (a titanium post) can be placed and restored with an abutment and crown. For a healthy patient, dental implants are predictable and have excellent prognosis for longevity.

Once the badly damaged tooth is removed, a bone graft and membrane will most likely be necessary to ensure that there will be enough bone to place the implant. Without sufficient healthy bone, an implant cannot be placed. The dental implant acts as the root of a tooth – the foundation of the tooth. Only local anesthesia (”numbing”) is typically needed, and the healing process is fairly easier than most people can imagine. Three to four months of healing is usually recommended, after which the abutment and crown or bridge can be mounted to complete the process – giving you brand new ”teeth” that you can use to chew normally and smile. As long as you have healthy gums and bone, implants are great alternatives to dentures as they do not become loose.


Dental implants are now a standard of care. Nobody should endure missing teeth or loose dentures anymore.

 

Am I a candidate for dental implants?

A thorough evaluation by the dentist and the dental surgeon is required to ensure there is adequate bone. This includes dental x-rays and clinical evaluation of the adjacent teeth and gums. At Lumia Dental, we also utilize state-of-the-art 3-dimensional radiographic imaging (cone beam computerized tomography, or CBCT) of the bone and surrounding vital structures to ensure the process can be as seamless and ideal as possible. Additional surgery may be necessary to allow the implant placement, such as sinus lift and/or bone augmentation. Our dental surgeons are highly trained and experienced in these procedures.


Dental surgery and implants are often dreaded by patients. The experienced Lumia Dental team understands the anxiety you may be going through.

Our goal is to make you as comfortable as possible while using the most advanced technology and techniques available.


Gum Surgery, Gum Graft, and Gum Lift

Whether for functional needs or for cosmetic purposes, the gums can often be reshaped. A ”crown lengthening” procedure may be necessary to lengthen the size of a tooth. A “gingivectomy” would be performed to recontour the gums surrounding a tooth. Gum tissue can also be added by grafting, sometimes a modern “pinhole” technique can be used. Our board-certified periodontist (“gum surgeon”) is experienced in the full range of periodontal, or gum, procedures.

 

Full Mouth Rehabilitation and Implants

When most of the teeth in the mouth are too badly damaged, the person can no longer smile with confidence and cannot chew their favorite foods freely. It is absolutely true what they say: the smile is one of the most important attributes to a person’s beauty. A beautiful smile boosts one’s confidence. The simple joy of eating can be taken away by not having enough healthy teeth to chew with. What we can provide for the patient is an implant-supported dental prosthesis – solidly secured by dental implants, very different from a removable denture – this means the teeth never move or shift when smiling, eating, sneezing, coughing, or talking.

Our Lumia Dental dentists are experienced in the most modern, advanced techniques to be able to give back the ability to smile brightly and to chew food comfortably. We utilize 3-dimensional computerized tomography (CBCT) performed and analyzed in-office, combining it with digitally scanned 3-dimensional models of your mouth, to produce esthetic and functional designs for a new smile – a new smile.

The extensive designing of your case is performed weeks in advance with a superb interdisciplinary team, including specialized lab technicians, your surgeon, your cosmetic dentist, and your anesthesiologist so that on the day of the actual procedure, it would be a matter of hours to give you a life-transforming smile.

The team at Lumia Dental is never judgmental.

Our goal is to get you to smile confidently and eat comfortably again.

 

Lumia Dental is a proud TeethXpress-certified provider.

TeethXpress

Check out our Smile Gallery for the wide range of cosmetic dental treatments we offer.