Implants
Dental Implants have been around for many years (circa 1960s) to replace missing teeth or to stabilize dentures. We continue to find better applications and better materials to improve the success rate of implants. Our most successful applications are Tooth Replacement and to Stabilize Dentures.
Tooth Replacement – Implants have replaced bridges as the primary way to replace a single missing tooth. Bridges require altering the teeth on either side of the missing tooth, which in most cases leads to premature problems with those teeth. Research shows that implant survival rate beyond 10 years is much higher than bridges. Cost of implants is typically 25%-40% more than the cost of a bridge but is much less expensive long term because bridges often need replacement long before implants.
Stabilize Dentures – The most common complaint that people have about their dentures is that they do not fit tight enough to eat the foods that they want to eat. Implants can serve as anchors to keep the teeth stable while chewing. This allows many people to eat foods that they previously could not eat (ie Corn on the cob, apples, lettuce, steak, etc). Implants also help with maintaining the bone of the jaw. When teeth are missing, our jaw continues to shrink as we age. The implants keep the bone stable, allowing you many years of enjoying the foods that you love to eat.