Dental Implants

Dental implants are permanent restorations that look, act, and feel like your natural teeth. At Dental Professionals of Fair Lawn, we can custom-make your dental implants to blend with your teeth in shape, size, and color. In many cases, our dentists are able to provide patients with a new smile in one day! If you have missing teeth, or if you have teeth that are beyond repair and require removal, dental implants can help you to regain your smile with results that look and feel natural. They consist of two parts: the implant, which acts as a tooth root, and the crown, or restoration, which will act as your new tooth.

Benefits of Dental Implants

With their many advantages over other dental restorations, dental implants have become a preferred restorative technique in many circumstances, especially because of the availability of immediate load implants, which can provide instant results. Some of the benefits of dental implants include:

  • No special cleaning beyond normal brushing and flossing is required
  • They look and feel like natural teeth
  • They prevent surrounding teeth from shifting out of place
  • They become a permanent part of your mouth
  • They do not slip or move along the gums
  • They can improve chewing and speaking
  • They can often be completed as “same-day teeth,” for immediate use of your dental implants

Who is a Candidate for Dental Implants?

In order to be considered a candidate for dental implants, you must have adequate bone density in your jaw since the implant must be anchored to the jawbone. Once one of our dentists has determined your jawbone is strong enough, you will be able to move on to the next step of the dental implant process. However, if you are not an eligible candidate for the procedure, your dentist will recommend an alternative, such as anchored dentures or dental bridges.

What are the Different Types of Dental Implants?

Single-Tooth Implants

Dental implants can replace a single missing tooth beautifully, with the accompanying restoration specially crafted to comfortably fill the gap between your teeth. After the implant is inserted into the gumline, a dental crown is custom-made to match the shade of your teeth for a natural-looking restoration. Plus, a single-tooth implant typically requires less jawbone volume to achieve successful results than restoring multiple teeth.

Multi-Tooth Implants

If you have more than one tooth in need of rehabilitation, dental implants can also be an excellent way to fill the expanse of multiple consecutive teeth. When many teeth in a row are missing or damaged, the result is usually a loss of biting function, as well as the shifting and misalignment of surrounding teeth. To avoid these oral health risks, dental implants can either be placed to individually replace each missing tooth, or a couple of implants can be utilized to anchor a dental bridge or partial denture. Our dentists will help you determine the best technique based on your needs and goals.

Implant-Supported Dentures

For those who need to restore functionality of an entire dental arch, implant dentures can be a powerful upgrade from traditional dentures that allows your prosthesis to remain securely affixed to the jawbone. The procedure involves anchoring a custom-designed denture to the gumline using between four and eight dental implants inserted at very precise angles. In certain cases, our dentists can restore a complete row of missing teeth using only four implants with the cutting-edge All-on-4® technique. By providing a greater degree of security, implant-supported dentures can allow patients to enjoy a wider range of foods and feel more confident when eating or speaking.

How is the Dental Implant Procedure Performed?

dental-implants-image-205x300If your dentist determines that you are a good candidate for dental implants, the next step is implant placement. One of our dentists will place a strong titanium post beneath the gumline. The titanium implant will be anchored to your jawbone to secure placement. Over a period of months, the post will fuse with the jawbone, making it a permanent part of your mouth, and allowing it to act as a tooth root. During this time, a temporary crown can be placed atop the implant until the dental implant has successfully fused with the bone.

After the dental implant has completed the fusion process, your dentist will have a custom-designed permanent dental crown made for you. This restoration will be color-matched to your surrounding teeth, and will be shaped to look and feel like a natural tooth. Once attached to the implant, this crown should act like a normal tooth. Best of all, because dental implants are designed to mimic a natural tooth and root, they do not require any special cleaning or care beyond your normal daily routine of brushing and flossing.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

Dental implants are intended to last as long as natural teeth and can provide decades of use as long as you maintain good oral hygiene habits. Similar to your natural enamel, bacteria buildup and decay can cause implants to prematurely deteriorate. The same can happen with excessive teeth grinding and clenching, which can damage or wear down your restoration. In general, daily brushing and flossing as well as routine oral examinations can help you prolong the lifespan of dental implants.

How Much Do Dental Implants Cost?

The cost of treatment with dental implants is determined on a patient-to-patient basis. While the price is calculated according to the details of your unique treatment plan, replacing a single tooth with an implant and restoration can generally cost between $3,000 to $4,500. To learn more about the different factors that can influence your dental implant expenses, please visit our page outlining the cost of dental implants in Fair Lawn.

Are There Alternatives to Dental Implants?

Yes. While dental implants are usually considered the gold standard of tooth replacement, these artificial tooth roots may not be the best restorative treatment for all patients. Dental bridges and partial dentures can also complete your smile for long-lasting results, with both options capable of restoring the function and appearance of your natural teeth without the need for oral surgery. Our state-of-the-art dental bridges are custom-crafted restorations designed to seamlessly close the gap left by missing teeth. They are attached to strong dental crowns atop healthy teeth on either side of the absent space, and do not require jawbone support to stay secure. Best of all, our innovative dental technology can allow fabrication of your one-of-a-kind restoration right here in our office on the same day as your visit, eliminating turnaround time and reducing your “time to teeth.”

In other cases, partial dentures may be the best solution for your concerns. Partial dentures are typically utilized when a large number of teeth need replacing or when there are missing teeth on both sides of the mouth. Like our other restorations, partial dentures are designed to match the shape, color, and dimensions of your natural teeth. The biggest difference between dental bridges and partial dentures is that bridges are fixed securely in the mouth, while dentures are removable. If you need to replace an entire row of teeth, full dentures—secured with or without implants—can be fabricated to rehabilitate your smile.

Are Dental Implants Safe?

Treatment with dental implants is considered safe and predictable as long as you are under the care of a qualified restorative dentist and implant team. In fact, when placed properly, dental implants maintain an unmatched success rate of nearly 95 percent. At Dental Professionals of Fair Lawn, it is not uncommon for dental implants to be placed with the expertise of a number of dental professionals, including periodontists, oral surgeons, and cosmetic dentists. This helps ensure each step of the implant process—from assessing your bone density to crafting the shape, size, and color of your restoration—is carried out with the highest standard of safety and skill.  

Do Dental Implants Hurt?

Many patients are surprised by how little discomfort is experienced during the dental implant process. We place implants while utilizing either local anesthesia or IV sedation, typically numbing any sensations felt during the procedure. Individuals often report little to no pain during oral surgery, but our dentists will do everything they can to help you reduce potential anxiety about treatment. There may be mild swelling of the gums after the implants are placed, but this can be controlled well with over-the-counter pain medication.

Contact Dental Professionals of Fair Lawn

If you think dental implants might be right for you, please contact us today for more information or to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced dentists. We can help you to achieve the smile you’ve always wanted in just one day!

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