A dental implant is a small, titanium root replacement. Dental implants (sometimes called “screw-in teeth”) are used to permanently replace single teeth, multiple teeth, or to anchor dentures when a patient has a missing tooth, a cracked tooth, or a broken tooth. Our team has extensive experience with dental implants in Bowling Green and at our other southern Kentucky locations. Dental implants restore your natural smile and give you confidence. They will never move, slip, or slide like dentures or partials, and you won’t have to worry about ever getting a cavity. They permanently fuse to your jaw through a process called “osseointegration”, and will prevent further bone loss. Implants are often the best way to replace missing teeth and will help prevent shifting and wear of your natural teeth. We can also use sedation dentistry to make the experience much more comfortable.
Dental Implants
Are they painful?
Remarkably we use less numbing medicine to place an implant than we do for a regular filling. This is because your jawbone has no nerve endings. With any surgical procedure there may be slight post operative discomfort, but pain during the procedure is very rare.
How long will they last?
Implants are relatively new in dentistry, and have only become mainstream over the last 20 years. Thus far they have proven to be extremely durable and dependable. Moreover, we believe that as your surgeon and general dentist, we should provide a good faith guarantee that our treatment should last. Therefore as long as you return at least once a year for your cleaning, we will guarantee the success of your implant, or replace it at no cost to you. They are simply that dependable.
Will it come out?
Implants are “fixed” in the jaw bone. This means that they never move, slip, or come out. They are made of medical grade titanium, a very strong, lightweight metal that actually osseointegrates into the bone.
What happens if I wait too long?
When teeth are missing jaw bone can erode way. This loss of bone can be detrimental to our appearance and ability to eat. Also our other teeth move and come out of alignment. Implants prevent both of these from occurring.
How do I know if I’m a candidate for implants?
We utilize Cone Beam CT technology to take a 3 dimensional scan of your jaw bones. This shows us your bone, sinuses, and nerves in detail. We digitally plan each implant prior to placement, and create create a custom guide to place the implant in the best location. Our goal is to be prepared and know our outcome before we ever begin treatment.
