Boise Dentists: What are Dental Implants?

Missing a tooth and wondering about dental implants? A dental implant is a highly recommended procedure for replacing teeth and improving a smile. For this procedure, our Boise dentists place a post into the jawbone as a replacement for the tooth’s root, and then permanently attach a crown to this post as a replacement for the tooth.

Obviously, if you have missing front teeth, you want to replace them with fake teeth for a complete smile. But there are other reasons for choosing dental implants. When you lose a tooth, your teeth will move to cover the gap of a missing tooth, creating worse gaps. More importantly, the jawbone will also begin to atrophy, making the surrounding teeth weaker and more likely to fall out. This also means you should get your dental implant in sooner rather than later because the jawbone can  in some cases become too weak to even support the implant without a bone graph.

A dental implant will replace all elements of a missing tooth, not just the aesthetics. The post will strengthen the jawbone and surrounding teeth just like a real tooth would, and the attached crown will keep other teeth in place.

The Procedure

If you are wondering how long it takes to get a dental implant, here is a brief description of the four appointments it usually requires.

First appointment. During this appointment we insure that your teeth are in the proper place for implants, and that you are a good candidate for the procedure.

Second appointment. Our Boise dentists place the post of the implant in the jawbone. It will take four to six months to allow the bone to heal around the post. During this time you may wear a temporary crown on a flipper or retainer.

Third appointment. We take an impression of the area for the new crown. This is also the time when we match the color of the crown to the color of your teeth.

• Note: If you want to whiten your teeth, you should either do so before this appointment or plan on getting a lighter shade, as the crown will not change color with whitening.

Fourth appointment. We attach the new crown to the post and cement it into place. Dental implants usually last your lifetime, so you shouldn’t need to worry about it again!

The Benefits

Maintain a Beautiful Smile. Implants offer more than just a complete set of teeth—any retainer or flipper could do that; implants also strengthen your jawbone so that your features keep their shape (otherwise, the missing tooth and root can cause your face to “fall”). So getting dental implants can give your whole face a more youthful appearance!

Regain Chewing Ability. Dental implants can take just as much abuse as regular teeth. Not only can you use your whole mouth for eating, the replaced tooth will reduce the strain put on your other teeth.

Protect Your Surrounding Teeth. With a post to strengthen your jawbone, your surrounding teeth will stay strong as well and will not be able to turn or become crowded.

If you need dental implants, the sooner you get them the better. We would love to set up a consultation at our Boise office, or feel free to leave a question in the comments!