Ready to fill in the gaps in your smile with premium, high-quality dental implants that produce amazing results? At Waterbury Dental Care in Waterbury, CT, we can get you there! Dental implants are the most impressive, functional, and longest-lasting option for replacing missing teeth, so you’ll want to learn more! Schedule a FREE consultation today to get started with a custom, personalized treatment plan and ask any questions you may have. Our friendly, experienced team of dental professionals looks forward to meeting you!
What Are Dental Implants?
Most people lose teeth over time, which can lead to both aesthetic and functional difficulties and can make it hard to smile naturally or chew properly. Dental implants are the best option for replacing missing teeth. With implants, we can fill in any gaps in your smile caused by teeth that have been lost over the years due to things like damage, decay, accidents, or any other cause.
The dental implant process consists of several stages. First is the actual implant itself. The implant is a slender titanium screw called a post that is essentially an artificial replacement for the root of your natural tooth. To put the implant in place, your dentist or oral surgeon will gently insert the screw into your jawbone (after making sure that you are comfortably numb, of course!), where it will serve as a long-term foundation for an artificial tooth to rest on.
Once the screw is in place, your jaw will need time to recover. During the several-month recovery period, the screw will actually become a part of your jawbone — a process called osseointegration. Once this process has been completed, we are then able to place a sturdy, elegant porcelain crown (the artificial tooth) on top of the titanium implant to give you a beautiful new replacement!
How Long Do Dental Implants Last?
Dental implants themselves are made from titanium — the same material used in engineering high-performance aircraft. They can essentially last a lifetime with proper care and a little luck and are both durable and reliable. Meanwhile, the crowns that go on top of implants to provide the actual replacement tooth are made from sturdy porcelain, and typically last a decade or more before they need to be replaced. In other words, dental implants are an investment in dependable, long-term results.
What Are Single Tooth Implants?
Single tooth implants are the standard type of dental implant. A single tooth implant means that your dentist is using a single dental implant topped with a crown to replace an individual missing tooth. This technique can be used if you have just one or two missing teeth, or to replace several or more.
What Are Implant-Supported Bridges?
An implant-supported bridge is a more cost-effective way to replace a whole row of missing teeth, while also being more reliable than a traditional dental bridge. A bridge is a row of crowns that have been fused together and is used to fill in a gap in your smile. Typically, bridges are attached to your existing teeth at either end of the bridge to hold them in place. However, one or more dental implants can also be used to secure the bridge. This tends to produce stronger results, while still being more affordable than simply replacing all of your missing teeth with single tooth implants.
Tooth Extraction
A tooth extraction is a procedure in which a tooth is removed from the mouth. This can be done for a variety of reasons, including crowding, tooth decay, or injury. The extracted tooth is then replaced with a dental implant. Depending on the condition and position of the tooth requiring extraction, the tooth may be removed by either a simple or surgical procedure.
- A simple tooth extraction is typically used for teeth that are visible in the mouth and easily accessible. We will numb the area around the tooth and use a tool called an elevator to loosen the tooth before removing it with forceps.
- A surgical tooth extraction is typically used for teeth that are not easily accessible, such as those that are impacted (stuck under the gum line). We will numb the area around the tooth and make an incision in the gum to expose the tooth. We will then remove the tooth with forceps.
Schedule a FREE Dental Implants Consultation!
Ready to learn more? Schedule your FREE dental implants consultation to get started and receive a personalized treatment evaluation!
