DENTAL IMPLANTS

What Are Dental Implants?

A natural tooth consists of a root and a crown. If you compare natural teeth to implant-supported replacement teeth, you’ll see they have the same basic parts. Both have a crown (the visible part used to chew food). Both have a root that holds the tooth securely under the gum and is anchored into the jaw. The difference is that the implant is made of titanium – the same time-tested material used by surgeons for artificial joints. When you lose a tooth, you lose both the root and the crown. To replace the tooth, the surgeon first replaces the root with a small dental implant.

Time is allowed for bone to heal and grow around the dental implant. The bone bonds with the titanium, creating a strong foundation for artificial teeth. A support post (abutment) is then placed on the implant and a new replacement tooth (crown) is placed on top of the abutment. In many cases a temporary replacement tooth can be attached to the implant immediately after it is placed. If all of your teeth are missing, a variety of treatment options are available to support the replacement teeth.

Surgical Advances

Using the most recent advances in dental implant technology, Dr.Baranovsky  is able to place single stage implants. These implants do not require a second procedure to uncover them, but do require a minimum of four to six months of healing time before artificial teeth are placed. There are even situations where the implant can be placed at the same time as the tooth extraction – further minimizing your number of surgical procedures.

Dental implant placement is sometimes a team effort between an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and a restorative dentist. Typically, Dr.Baranovsky performs the actual implant surgery, initial tooth extractions, bone grafting if necessary as well as restoring the implant with the abutment and crown himself. There maybe some occasions that an maxillofacial oral surgeon is needed depending on your health history and difficulty in the surgery. If this is the case Dr. Baranovsky will fabricate the necessary surgical guide to aid in the implant placement. After the oral surgeon places the implant and clears the patient to have the implant restored, Dr. Baranovsky will complete the process with necessary impressions and final restorations.