9 Common Questions About Dental Implants
When you're considering dental implants, it's common to have questions. We've rounded up some of the most frequently asked questions, as well as answers. 1. What are dental implants? Dental implants are medical grade hollow titanium screws that are screwed into the bone, so the bone can harden around the implant. This mimics the root of the tooth that was lost. Once the single implant has fused to bone, a post and crown can be screwed into the implant (artificial root) to allow normal chewing to take place. For front implant crowns, it is very important that the gum is carefully molded around the implant so a precisely-made crown can look like it naturally comes out of the gum. 2. Are veneers dental implants? No, veneers are tiny partial coverings that fit over and are bonded to the front part on the front teeth. These are not as strong as crowns. The analogy is when you picture fake fingernails on your hands that are adhered to your natural fingernails. 3 . How do dental implants work? When you’re missing a tooth, an artificial root is placed in the jaw, followed by a post, followed by a crown that is cemented on top of the post. Dental implants are hollow medical grade titanium screws that are screwed into the jaw bone. After a one-three month waiting period, a dental post and realistic looking crown is then screwed into the implant. The crown you have should look and feel like a normal, natural tooth. 4. How do dental implants feel? Dental implant crowns should look and feel like normal natural teeth. If this is not the case, there are a few easy fixes to the crown, not the root implant, that will correct the problem. A dentist just needs to be knowledgable to know what fixes to use. 5. Who puts in dental implants? Any licensed dentist can legally place implants. Gordon Center for General and Advanced Dentistry prefers to have only experienced Oral Surgeons or Periodontal specialists place implants in your mouth. These specialists place between 250 and 600 implants per year. Dr. Leonard Gordon has been successfully placing crowns on multi-generational implants for more than 35 years. He was one of the first in the Gaithersburg dentists to do so. Dr. David Gordon has been successfully placing crowns on implants for more than 10 years. Their success rate for the crowned implants is about 99%. 6. How long do dental implants last? Dental implants should last the life of the patient. Many factors affect this statistic including if the patient properly brushes and flosses around the implant. Drs. Gordon use only FDA-approved parts, including some of the latest advances that are available to their patients due to their continual updating. Dr. Leonard Gordon lectures nationally to other dentists around the country about these changes. Dr. David Gordon uses this knowledge, and both maintain a close relationship with one of the premier dental national labs and the associated implant companies. 7. Are dental implants permanent? Legally, a dentist should refrain from using the word permanent from any procedure done in dentistry. Drs. Leonard and David Gordon have a greater than 99% success rate following implants for 10 or more years 8. Are dental implants worth it? “Worth it” depends on each persons thought process. If you would prefer to have a single front tooth implant instead of a removable flipper or cutting down healthy teeth on either side for a single replacement crown fixed bridge, then it’s worth it. Along those lines, if you'd prefer to have all-on-4 dental implants so you can eat whatever you want, as opposed to an option that requires you to eat a soft food diet or wear a possibly embarrassing denture, then it’s worth it. 9. Are dental implants painful? Most people would have a dental implant placed one day and be back to work the next day. Only Ibuprofen or Tylenol would be necessary. If you have additional questions, please feel free to call the office at (301)-258-1998 or click to schedule an appointment.
What Do I Say to My Adult Child About Dental Implants?
If a lack of teeth or chewing function are affecting your son or daughter's quality of life, you may want to discuss dental implants with them. It can be helpful to have some information to share, so we've pulled together a short list of articles with more information. Am I the right age for dental implants? Are dental implants safe? What is the recovery like from all-on-4 dental implant surgery? What can I eat with dental implants? There are other options as well for missing teeth, so your child can eat and smile comfortably, which will improve their health and make them more comfortable in a variety of settings. As always, you can contact us for a free consultation, and we will take the time to answer all of your questions and your children's questions so they can select the best treatment option for them.
Why Do They Call Dental Implant Surgery “Teeth in a Day?”
The term “Teeth in a day” refers to complete tooth replacement with the All-on-4™ dental implant technique. Other terms for this procedure are full mouth implants, or whole mouth implants. Traditional dental implant surgery restoration often meant multiple surgeries, gum surgeries, or bone grafting and could take many months. With the All-on-4 dental implant procedure, a patient gets teeth fixed and screwed into their upper and/or lower jaw the same day as their implant surgery. Call 301-258-1998 for a free consultation.
Can I Get Dental Implants if I Have Diabetes?
The short answer is yes. There are two health criteria that must be met in order to have dental implants placed--and once the implants are fused to bone they are usually fine even if the two criteria become uncontrolled: 1) The diabetes must be noted by your physician as being in a “controlled “ state. 2) The HemaglobinA1C should be 7 or below. 7-8 would depend on other factors including overall health status. Over 8 depends on other factors plus the experienced implant surgeon's comfort level. At Gordon Center for General and Advanced Dentistry, we select an implant surgeon for you based on many factors. Our expertise, and knowledge of great practitioners nearby allows us to choose the implant surgeon that is the correct match for you. Call 301-258-1998 or click here to schedule your free dental implant consultation.
Are Dental Implants Safe?
The short answer is yes. When placed by a skilled implant surgeon and restored by skilled restorative dentist, implants are safe. At Gordon Center for General and Advanced Dentistry, we have patients with dental implants dating back to 1983. Our experience allows us to exceed the average for implant survivability and have a 98% dental implant success rate. Our up-to-date knowledge of dental materials allows Dr.’s Leonard and David Gordon to fit the implant with the most lifelike, longest-lasting post and crown known to dentistry today. Moreover, we only use FDA-approved implants and parts. Call 301-258-1998 today or click here to schedule your free dental implant consultation.
What Is the Recovery Like From an All-on-4 Dental Implant Surgery?
Many of our patients return to their normal routine (work, etc.) five days after their surgery and are feeling completely normal in about a week. Regarding the initial recovery, after the numbness wears off, most patients will experience some swelling and soreness from the surgery. This typically last a few days. In most cases you will need to use pain medication for the first 24 hours and then Tylenol or Advil as needed from there, but you can resume normal activity. After surgery, refrain from vigorous exercise for 10 days. As far as what you can eat: For six to eight weeks the implants are healing in the bone. Pasta, flaky fish, soft meatloaf are examples of foods that can be eaten. It is too tough if you need to cut it with a knife. Sandwiches or any foods that one “pulls away from your mouth “ are also not recommended. After eight weeks, the implants are fixed into the bone, but while wearing the temporary teeth, one has to be careful not to eat any tough sandwiches or breads as the all acrylic temporaries could potentially break. Once the final teeth have been fabricated, you can eat whatever you’ve been waiting for all along! Sandwiches, steak, French bread, corn on the cob, apples, you name it.! Learn more about all-on-4 dental implants and click here to schedule a free consultation with today.
Am I the Right Age for Dental Implants?
At Gordon Center for General & Advanced Dentistry the oldest patient we have restored implants on was 87 years old. He is now almost 93 years old. Regarding younger patients, female facial bones actively grow until about 21 years old and males’ until about 23 years. Before placing implants in younger patients we take special low dose X-ray shots 6 months apart and overlay the images to see that the patient has stopped actively growing. This is most important in patients who were congenitally missing front teeth, or were wearing temporary front teeth after getting out of braces, and are looking forward to the final more permanent teeth so they can eat whatever they want and not worry about breakage or temporaries coming loose. To learn more about dental implants click here or call 301-258-1998 to schedule a free consultation today.
What’s the Success Rate of Dental Implants at Gordon Center?
The most advanced restoration techniques available allow us to have a success rate of more than 98%. This rate can only be achieved by giving the utmost attention to each implant that a crown is put on every time. We don’t just “put a crown on an implant”. We pay attention to the shape and quality of the gum around it, to the proper bite and contour of surrounding teeth and appropriate color and size so that it feels natural in your mouth. We carefully select the skilled surgeon to extract the teeth and place the implants, while we only concentrate on the crown on top. This way you get the very best skilled dentist to do each part that they do best. “One stop shopping” may work in retail, but dentists can’t be the best in all aspects. That’s why our success rate is greater than 98%. If you’re interested in this topic because you received a dental implant or all-on-4 procedure somewhere else and the crown is chipped, worn, or broken, you can learn more about how we restore dental implant crowns. Call 301-258-1998 or click to schedule an appointment and learn more about how we restore dental implants.
Am I Healthy Enough for Dental Implants?
Patients with uncontrolled diabetes, undergoing Chemotherapy for Cancer, or actively taking some IV drugs for Osteoporosis are not ideal candidates for dental implants. However, smoking, controlled diabetes, osteoporosis, or previous cancer treatments do not rule out successful placement or restoration of dental implants. A complete medical history, sometimes in consultation with your general physician, will allow us to ensure your health and safety while focusing on the longevity of a well-placed dental implant. Call 301-258-1998 or schedule an appointment to learn more.
What Can I Do if I Have Missing Teeth?
Current literature says that gum disease and missing teeth can lead to Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss, and heart problems. Not to mention, it can affect your quality of life; making it hard to chew the food you enjoy, or uncomfortable to smile in social settings or pictures. We can help you find the right treatment for you—be it dental implants, or a bridge, or full or partial dentures. Contact Gordon Center for General & Advanced Dentistry at 301-258-1998 or by clicking here to schedule a free consultation.