Treatment Options

Several treatment options are available today to replace missing teeth. Crowns, bridges and dentures are aesthetic dentistry treatments but do nothing to stop bone loss. These options may also require the sacrifice of two or more healthy teeth, which are ground down to serve as posts.

Dental implants offer a solution that is most like your natural teeth, allowing for full chewing action and stimulation of the jaw, to minimize bone loss. Your natural tooth consists of a crown and root. The root is embedded in the jawbone, providing stability. When a tooth is lost, bone grafting material and a dental implant can be placed in the bone to replace the natural root and a permanent dental crown is placed over the implant. Function is then fully restored.

The key to dental implant success is adequate width and depth of the jaw bone where the implant is to be placed. If bone loss has already occurred, your dentist can correct this with bone grafting. The defect in the jawbone is filled with graft material and, in four to eight months, your jawbone will be sufficiently restored to allow for the dental implant to be placed. Sometimes immediate implant placement can occur in patients who already have adequate ridge width and depth.