Dental Implants | Boerne
Restore Your Smile & Well-Being
If you’re tired of living with missing teeth, dental implants from Complete Dental Studio can help.
Whether you need to replace a single tooth or several teeth, Dr. Alghadban can utilize his industry expertise and state-of-the-art dental implant systems to restore your healthy smile, improve your oral health, and enhance your overall quality of life.
What Is a Dental Implant?
A dental implant uses a metal rod — usually made of titanium — that Dr. Alghadban surgically places into your jawbone. This rod acts as a replacement tooth root, providing a stable base for a crown, bridge, or set of dentures.
Over a few months, the implant fuses to your surrounding bone tissue through a process called osseointegration to create a strong, permanent, and robust foundation for your new replacement tooth.
Once the implant has fully fused with your jawbone, Dr. Alghadban will affix an artificial tooth — usually a porcelain crown — to the top of your implant. This crown is custom-made to match the shape, size, and color of your natural teeth so you can enjoy an implant that blends seamlessly with the rest of your smile.
All-on-Four Implants
While dental implants can replace a single tooth or a short row of teeth, they can also replace your entire top or bottom set of teeth.
This type of dental implant is called all-on-four dental implants, which involves surgically inserting four dental implants into your jaw bone to serve as anchors for an entire set of prosthetic dentures.
The term “all-on-four” refers to the fact that only four implants are used to support a full arch of teeth, rather than one implant per tooth. With all-on-four implants, you can enjoy a fully functional set of permanent teeth that look, feel, and function like natural teeth.
The Dental Implant Advantage
When we say that an implant looks just like a regular tooth, we mean it! Dr. Alghadban can match the porcelain crown on top of an implant to exactly match the shade of your natural teeth. This means that no one will ever know you have an implant!
Below are other advantages you can enjoy with dental implants from Complete Dental Studio:
Irreplaceable Strength
While dentures or bridges are solid choices for replacing your missing teeth, they can’t compare to the strength and durability of dental implants.
Because a dental implant fuses to your jawbone — essentially creating an artificial tooth root — the implant is almost as strong as any natural tooth. Implants can also support a bite force similar to natural teeth, unlike dentures, which typically only allow between 25 and 50 percent of the bite force of natural teeth.
Improved Overall Health
One of the most compelling reasons for replacing your missing teeth is that it’s so difficult to chew food adequately. Without a full set of healthy teeth, you can only eat certain foods, which can prevent you from enjoying a healthy diet.
Problems chewing can also result in gastrointestinal issues, which can affect your overall health and even shorten your lifespan.
Higher Bone Density
Missing teeth can compromise the strength of your jawbone. That’s because the bone tissue in your jawbone must be stimulated to maintain its density — otherwise, your jaw begins to change shape and weaken, making it more difficult to wear dentures or other dental prosthetics.
When your dentist inserts a dental implant into your jawbone, the implant stimulates the bone tissue, essentially preserving it. So not only will you enjoy the benefits of a functional bite — you’ll also preserve the density and longevity of your jawbone.
Firm Grip
Dentures and bridges sit on top of your gum tissue, so they tend to shift and move around inside your mouth. This can make it difficult to eat certain foods. It can also make speaking clearly a challenge.
Unlike dentures, dental implants are permanently attached to your jawbone, so they don’t need over-the-counter adhesives to prevent them from slipping — in fact, your dental implant won’t move at all.
Hygiene & Bite Maintenance
Dental implants are easier to care for than dentures — all you have to do is simply brush and floss as you would your natural teeth.
Dental implants also ensure you maintain a healthy bite. When you’re missing a tooth, it’s natural for your other teeth to shift into place to fill in the gap.
An implant prevents this shift from happening — so your teeth stay straight, and your bite remains properly aligned.
High Success Rate
Although the entire dental implant procedure takes several months to complete, the success rate is typically about 98 percent. That’s remarkably high for any type of procedure!
What does that mean for you? You can feel confident that you implant surgery will go smoothly and predictably.
What to Expect With Dental Implants
Although the exact procedure involved in getting a new dental implant may vary somewhat depending on your oral health and needs, you can typically expect the process to follow these steps:
Dental Consultation & Evaluation
The first step involves meeting with your dentist for a consultation and evaluation of your current oral health. This usually includes an oral exam and X-rays, which will determine the condition of your jawbone and whether or not your bone density is sufficient to support an implant.
Your dentist will likely take an impression of your teeth as well. If your jawbone isn’t strong enough, you may need a bone graft procedure before you can get an implant.
But don’t let this discourage you from the procedure. Many patients who have lived without teeth for any period require bone grafting before the implant procedure.
Installing the Implant
The next step involves the dentist or oral surgeon making an incision in the gum tissue at the exact location of the missing tooth. Then, they’ll insert the metal rod into your jawbone.
The metal will take about three to nine months to fuse to the jawbone, creating what is essentially an artificial tooth root.
Because the implant procedure is a type of oral surgery, your dentist or oral surgeon will discuss your anesthesia and sedation options to ensure you feel no pain or discomfort during the procedure.
Placing the Abutment
After the implant fuses to your jawbone, your dentist or oral surgeon will place an abutment — or metal connector — on top of the implant to hold the crown or denture in place.
The abutment placement procedure usually takes very little time and requires only a local anesthetic to numb the surrounding tissue. Once we’ve placed the abutment, Dr. Alghadban will cover it with a cap to prevent the bone and gum tissue from growing over the top.
Affixing the Crown or Denture
The final step in the process is when your dentist affixes a crown to the abutment. This takes place after the implant has completely fused to the jawbone. The result is very much like getting a brand-new natural tooth!