Implant Dentistry

Have you ever lost a tooth as an adult? Whether from an accident or perhaps needing a tooth extraction, it’s nowhere near as exciting as when you lose a tooth as a child. The tooth fairy no longer pays you a visit to drop you some cash under your pillow as you sleep, instead, you are left with a wide array of emotions. Maybe fear: not knowing what to do next, a decrease in self-esteem from the change in your physical appearance or feeling alone and like you are the only one going through this experience.

120 million people in the United States are missing at least one tooth, and we know hearing that doesn’t fix everything, but we do know that overall tooth loss can be quite a stressful situation and we are here to help. Our team of experts at Spokane Dental is here to support you, answer your questions, and guide you along the treatment process to build your new smile.

Understanding The Basics

We find that one of the things our patients are most intimidated by when experiencing tooth loss and needing dental implants, is that they don’t quite understand what they are or how they work. So, let’s start there. Dental implants themselves consist of a small titanium rod that is placed in the jawbone to mimic the root of your tooth. Why does this matter? With a natural tooth, the roots go deep into your jawbone where there are many nerves. The roots of your tooth stimulate those nerves, thus creating continuous bone growth. When you are missing a tooth and do not have the root to stimulate the nerves, they do not receive a signal to continue bone growth and development, inevitably leading to the deterioration of your jawbone.

This can cause an abundance of issues. For one, you could lose additional teeth, and your bone mass could be too low for additional dental implants to be placed. You will also begin to see the shape of your face change and your facial features become more sunken in as your jawbone deteriorates. However, having the dental implant to stimulate the nerves in your jawbone helps to prevent all of this from happening.

The dental implant itself is only a replacement for the root of your tooth. This means aesthetically you would still be suffering from the visual effects of tooth loss, not to mention the difficulties that may come along with it in terms of speaking and eating. This is simply solved by placing a prosthetic. On top of the dental implant is an abutment where we attach the prosthetic. A dental bridge is frequently used, but often your dentist will place a crown. A crown is a prosthetic tooth typically made of porcelain that is created to mimic the size, shape, and color of your natural teeth. Due to this, the crown looks and functions almost identically to a natural tooth, making your dental implant fly under the radar!

How It Works - The Dental Implant Process

When receiving a dental implant, there are two ways to go about it; immediate or delayed. Traditionally, and most commonly, most patients will need to wait a period of at least a few months after their tooth loss before they can receive their dental implant. This is because many adults experience tooth loss via tooth extraction, meaning time is needed to allow for the gums to heal and the bone to settle. With the constant advancements in modern dentistry and technology, there is now a second option referred to as ‘Immediate Load Implants’. With immediate load implants, you skip the traditional waiting period and immediately have your dental implant placed. We work with each of our patients individually to determine which option is the safest and best choice for them depending on their specific situation.

Though the process might vary slightly from patient to patient, when receiving a traditional, delayed dental implant, you can typically expect it to follow these steps:

  1. Consultation: When a patient first comes in for a consultation for dental implants, the time is mostly allocated towards the dentist assessing the patient’s current overall oral health. This may include x-rays, a CT scan, or a simple oral exam done by the dentist. The reason we do this is to ensure everything looks safe and in good condition for a dental implant to be placed. This is the stage where you will find out whether you need a bone graft before receiving the implant. (A bone graft is only necessary when a patient’s jawbone is not strong enough to support an implant in its current state. The grafting material is ‘introduced’ to the jawbone to stimulate new bone growth in the jaw).
  2. Placement of the Implant: The titanium post is implanted into the jawbone where the two start to fuse over time to create a stable, strong foundation for the replacement tooth to stay put. 
  3. Healing: The implant will not fully integrate with the jawbone for at least a few months, meaning the restoration/prosthetic cannot be placed. However, there is a solution to this, a temporary bridge or crown can be used to help with functionality and appearance until the crown is ready to be placed.
  4. Placement of the restoration: When the healing is complete and the dental implant has fully and successfully fused with the jawbone, an abutment, or connecting piece is then attached to the implant. The final step is to replace the current temporary prosthetic with the permanent dental crown - no more missing teeth!

Dental Implants at Your Spokane Dentist

We hope learning a bit more about dental implants has eased any anxieties you may have had. As we mentioned, our team at Spokane Dental is ready to provide you with quality and personalized care to give you back your confidence and the smile you deserve. Give us a call at (509)822-5614 or schedule a consultation and let’s get started today!