Proud Smiles Dental is a Sandy Springs, GA dentist office that offers solutions for patients suffering from missing teeth. Dr. Radha Patel will recommend a single dental implant for patients that qualify because it is the next best solution to a natural tooth. This type of dental restoration offers many benefits and has an over 95% success rate.
About a Single Dental Implant
Dental implants are actually tiny metal screws. The surgeon places them in the jaw bone and to securely hold a dental restoration in place. A single dental implant is the most natural and reliable way to replace a missing tooth. The dentist surgically implants the metal screw into the jaw where the missing tooth is located. After surgery, it will take about three to six months for the site to heal and for the implant to fully fuse with the surrounding bone.
Next, the dentist attaches a tiny connector, a piece called an abutment. In a few weeks, a custom-made dental crown will either be screwed or cemented to the abutment.
You will care for your dental implant-supported crown the same way you care for your other teeth, by brushing and flossing every day and visiting our Sandy Springs, GA dentist office every six months for a regular oral health checkup.
Advantages of a Single Dental Implant
When you compare an implant-restored dental crown to a dental bridge or partial dentures, the implant offers many more advantages. The adjacent teeth don’t need preparation as they would with a dental bridge. A bridge is two dental crowns with a pontic in between them that are fused together. The two crowns attach to the ground-down teeth. With an implant crown, the two teeth are left alone, undamaged.
A dental implant will replace the missing tooth’s root. This is a huge benefit when you compare implants to other options. With bridges and dentures, the jaw bone receives no stimulation and will slowly begin to deteriorate. With an implant crown, the surgeon places the implant post in the jawbone, thus stimulating it and preventing bone loss.
An implant crown is the most stable, natural-looking, and functioning option available today. If a patient chooses to use a partial denture, it will not function like a natural tooth. These patients avoid many types of food that aren’t able to be digested properly with dentures. Partials also slip around in the mouth. Metal clasps hold these dental restorations into place. It’s easy to see them when you’re smiling or speaking. With the implant option, there are little to no food restrictions and the crown will blend in naturally with the surrounding teeth.
The disadvantage to choosing an implant crown to replace a missing tooth is the amount of time it takes to get it and the cost. A dental bridge or partial denture will cost a fraction of what an implant costs. The process to get a single dental implant can take up to six months or more depending on the state of your oral health.