Q. Dental implants, are they right for you? A. If you are missing one or more teeth and would like to restore the ability to smile, speak and eat with comfort and confidence, then dental implants may be right for you. Q. What are dental imlants? A. Dental implants are artificial substutes for natural tooth roots. They are small anchors made of titanium, and are placed into the jawbone. They can provide non-removable tooth replacement in the toothless jaw. Q. What is the treatment like? A. We work as a team with your restorative dentist. After initial planning, the first step is to place the implant into the jawbone. A healing period of several months is necessary to allow the jawbone to attach firmly to the implants. The second step is to attach small posts to the implants which project through the gum. They are replaced a few weeks later by other parts, which will anchor new teeth. Sometimes all steps can be combined into one. Q. Is the implantation process painful? A. The implants are placed surgically. The great majority of our patients are reporting very little to no discomfort associated with the process.

Q. Who fabricates the new implant-supported crown? A. Your restorative dentist will fit new crowns on the implants. This may require several visits. Q. How do I take care of implants? A. Like natural teeth, brushing, flossing and visiting your dentist regularly are essential to the success of dental implants. We, along with your restorative dentist, will provide long term maintenance of your implants. Q. How long do they last? A. It is difficult to predict how long dental implants will last in your mouth. We can report, however, that we are using proven implant systems which have been used for over 30 years with 85% to 98% success. Q. Why we provide dental implant surgery? A. As surgeons with special training in the treatment of periodontal tissue (gums), implants and surrounding bone, we know that we can provide our implant patients with a predictable treatment outcome. We also provide long-term maintenance therapy of teeth and implants for our patients.