Restoring Your Smile with Dental Implants in St. George
Durable replacements for missing or damaged teeth.
What Makes Dental Implants Necessary?
There are many causes of tooth loss, like decay, infection, trauma, gum disease, fracture and old age. Regardless of the reason, dental implants can provide a miraculous restoration of function and esthetics to your mouth and face. At Red Hills Dental, Dr. Matthew Bergman provides complete dental implant treatment, including surgery and restoration. Along with the dental implants, we provide supporting procedures to facilitate long-lasting, beautiful, and functional smiles. Among the procedures available at Red Hills Dental are tooth removals, bone grafts, guided tissue regeneration, sinus lifts, block grafts, and osseous recontouring. These procedures help restore the gums and jawbone to their proper form. They also strengthen and enlarge the jawbone for implant placement. Because we use the best tested methods and materials, we can provide you with continually reliable, esthetic results.
Regardless of whether you’re missing one tooth or many, we can rebuild and restore your smile completely. We proudly serve the dental implant needs of individuals throughout St. George, Washington, and Santa Clara. Contact Dr. Matthew Bergman and his Red Hills Dental team today to schedule your consultation!
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are tooth replacements that consist of three parts: the implant post, the abutment, and the restoration. The implant post acts as the tooth root. It is shaped like a tapered post and is threaded like a screw to provide stability when placed into the jawbone. When the implant post is placed, the bone grows onto the implant surface and fuses to provide an extremely strong and long lasting bond. The abutment is a piece that screws into the implant post. The abutment is a transition between the implant post in the bone and the tooth above the gums. There are two types of abutments: Stock and Custom. Stock abutments come from the factory ready to be used. Custom abutments are shaped and molded to fit individual needs. The abutment shapes the gums and is a base for the future tooth. The tooth replacement is called a restoration. The restoration is often times a crown or cap; however, it can be a bridge across two implants or an entire set of teeth on four or more implants. Restorations are designed to look, feel, and act like healthy and natural teeth. All restorations are custom made for each patient.
Specialties represented among ABOI Diplomates include general practice, oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontology, and prosthodontics. The ABOI/ID Diplomate designation symbolizes the highest level of competence in implant dentistry. Certification by the ABOI/ID attests to the fact that a dentist has demonstrated knowledge, ability, and proficiency in implant dentistry through a rigorous examination process.
How Do St George Dental Implants Work?
Osseointegration is the scientific term to describe the bone fusing to the titanium surface. Osseointegration creates a permanent, immovable structure to support the repetitive beating that the teeth take from chewing, clenching and grinding. Implants offer multiple benefits as compared to other forms of treatment because they osseointegrate to the jawbone. Like the foundation of a house, dental implants provide a secure, long lasting solution to support your smile.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine explains that.…”Bones are strengthened by physical stimulus. For your jawbone, that includes the force exerted on your jaws by chewing and biting…. When a tooth is missing, the bone loses its stimulus in that spot and your body begins signaling osteoclasts to break down the jawbone.”
Implants stimulate the bone to restore the balance of natural bone production and density. Bone grafting at the time of tooth extraction can maintain the bone until the socket is ready for implant placement. Without implant placement or bone grafting, at least 50% of bone width and height can be lost. An average, 25% of bone is lost in the first year after an extraction. Clinically, more aggressive cases of bone loss are seen routinely.
Dental implants restore stimulation that is needed for jawbones to stay healthy and full. Without implant placement, bone grafts can start to lose volume after 12 months. Maintaining bone prevents the collapse of facial features. These characteristics can be defined by sagging and sunken in facial features and a prematurely aged appearance. Dental implants provide the jawbone with support and stimulation to combat the collapse of facial features. Implant supported restorations also provide support to lips, skin, and cheek muscles. Teeth on implants also prevent the remaining teeth from moving and help to limit problems with chewing, speech, and spacing. This promotes physical and emotional well-being.
Can I Get Dental Implants in St George?
The short answer is YES! Almost all people are good candidates for dental implants. According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, there are 4 important requirements for you to fulfill: 1) Good Medical Health 2) Good Oral Health 3) An Understanding Mindset and 4) A Commitment to Oral Hygiene. The mouth and body must be relatively healthy. Anything that impairs healing can affect the outcome of dental implant treatment. Most importantly, the bone needs to be strong and free of disease. Factors like gum disease, diabetes, medications, and osteoporosis need to be brought up and discussed with Dr. Bergman before beginning treatment. Almost all factors that negatively affect dental implant success can be adjusted to provide life-long, positive results. At Red Hills Dental, we are in the business of giving you the best and longest lasting smile.
If a tooth has been lost for a long time, the jawbone collapses and becomes weaker. The sinus even expands without upper teeth. Thankfully, there is hope for restoration of your smile. Our St. George implant dentist performs bone grafts and sinus lifts to increase your chances of success, build up new bone, and make it possible to get your smile back.
Am I a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?
Dr. Bergman and our team use some of the latest diagnostic technologies to ensure dental implants are the best solution for your needs. Our cone beam CT facial scanner takes precise 3D images of your teeth, roots, gums, nerve paths, and the bone patterns of your face. This not only reveals the underlying and overall health of your smile, but this technology also helps us to precisely plan your treatment.
During your exam, we use intraoral cameras to confirm the health of your mouth, teeth, and gums. These small, hand-held cameras also show you precisely what’s going on inside your smile, providing you with live images of our findings. Our use of innovative technologies allows our team to determine your needs, explain your health situation, and recommend specific treatments to you.
What Is a Bone Graft or Sinus Lift?
Our implant dentist in St George, Dr. Bergman, is well-versed in implant related procedures. He is an Associate Fellow with the American Academy of Implant Dentistry and is credentialed with the ICOI Mastership from the International Congress of Oral Implantology. Dr. Bergman can perform bone grafting, sinus lifts, and soft tissue procedures so you can enjoy a restored smile with dental implant therapy. These procedures help to restore the jawbone to a healthy and strong structure to support dental implants.
Bone grafting uses methods and materials to allow your own bone grow into a predetermined space. Bone grafting is necessary to maintain or rebuild jawbone for dental implant treatment. When teeth are not replaced, the jawbone shrinks and weakens. Over time, more than 50% of the jawbone height and width can be lost. As the bone shrinks, there may not be enough strength or density to support dental implants without help. A bone graft adds new bone material to build up density and volume. Grafting procedures encourage regrowth so your implants can fuse properly, increasing the chance for successful treatment.
There are a few instances when a sinus lift is necessary: 1) Bone loss from gum disease 2) Lost back teeth in the upper jaw 3) Oversized sinus space. When back teeth in the upper jaw are lost, the sinus space grows. This growth is called pneumatization. When the sinus pneumatizes, there is not enough space for dental implants. Our St George implant dentist can diagnose and treat the underlying cause of bone loss with a sinus lift. To make room for bone in the sinus, the sinus membrane is lifted or moved upward which give the treatment its name. It is also called a sinus augmentation. There are scientifically supported methods and materials that Dr. Bergman uses to give you the best results to restore your smile.
How Many Dental Implants Do I Need?
How many teeth are being replaced? Do you want teeth that are removable or fixed in place? How much bone loss is present? Are you a 250 pound broad-shouldered male or a 110 pound slimly built female? In order to determine the number of implants, multiple factors are considered. Most of the time, single missing teeth only need one implant to replace them. By extension, multiple missing teeth often need multiple implants. One size does not fit all. There are four types of restorations common with dental implants: 1) A crown or cap that replaces a single tooth 2) A bridge that replaces two or three teeth with two dental implants 3) A denture or partial denture retained by at least two dental implants 4) Last, a full-arch of teeth that is permanently fixed to implants. Fixed implant supported teeth to replace a full-arch requires AT LEAST 4 implants but is always better with more.
Implant supported full-arch restorations have been marketed by Nobel Biocare under the trademarked All-on-4® treatment. Nobel has made millions and millions with this venture. However, All-on-4® is not the best long-term treatment for most people. All-on-4® is only advised when placement of an adequate number of implants is not possible. A minimum of 5 implants in the lower jaw and 6 in the upper jaw is widely considered acceptable for a fixed set of teeth.
When it comes to replacing teeth, our team believes in providing implant-supported restorations of the highest quality. We work closely with trusted local labs that use name-brand materials known for their longevity and ability to mimic natural teeth.
When necessary or insisted upon by you, we use the All-on-4® method to replace a complete arch of teeth. This uses a set of dentures custom made to your mouth. The four implants are permanently attached to your denture on either the upper or lower jaw, or both. The denture used for All-on-4® is different than a traditional denture because it attaches to implants. It is called a hybrid denture. For this reason, your existing denture cannot be used for your final teeth with the All-on-4® method.
Improving the Smile Restoration Process with 3D Printing Technology
3D printing has revolutionized several aspects of dentistry. It can be used for orthodontics, oral surgery, temporary crowns, and night guards. At Red Hills Dental, we use 3D printing for custom surgical guides. Dr. Bergman plans the placement and orientation of your implants on advanced dental implant software. Then a custom surgical guide is 3D printed so that the implants are placed in the exact position that they were planned for. The custom-made surgical guide ensures your treatment plan is replicated accurately, and each implant is inserted to the correct depth, location, and angulation. Once inserted, the implants are covered with healing caps to protect them and are left undisturbed to heal and attach to your jawbone.
In some instances, temporary teeth can be attached to the implants while they are healing. Temporary teeth can be prepared prior to surgery. These teeth are used while the bone is growing around the implants. Our team does not want you to worry about living without teeth while waiting for your implants to heal or your custom final teeth to be made. Once you’ve healed properly from implant placement, impressions are taken, teeth are tried in, and permanent teeth are attached.
What are The Steps to Dental Implant Treatment?
As with any dental implant treatment suggested here at Red Hills Dental, we consider your aims and desires for treatment closely, and Dr. Bergman will discuss your oral and medical health prior to treatment.
It is important to discuss your dental and medical health openly with Dr. Bergman to ensure you are suitable for implant treatment. Dr. Bergman will also discuss the benefits and possible risks of implant therapy.
Dental implant treatment is a multi-step process that can take as little as three months. Treatment includes thorough consultations, exams, planning, and performing bone grafts or sinus lifts when necessary. We will us a facial CT to plan your implant placement with our on-site imaging technology. The CT will show the size, shape, and angle of your jaw bone. The image will also show how dense the bone is. A 3-dimensional image of the teeth and gums will also be taken. A virtual treatment outcome is digitally developed by Dr. Bergman, ensuring it provides excellent aesthetics and that you can eat and talk comfortably. This is used to plan your implants and create a customized surgical guide.
During placement, Dr. Bergman uses advanced surgical guides to help precisely place implants. Instruments specific to dental implants are used to place the implants with accuracy and reliability. These technologies allow our St George Implant Dentist to provide skilled placement, accurate positioning, and promote quicker healing. Depending on your needs, various types of sedation are available.
Healing time is essential. This can take as little as three months to complete. Once healed, our St. George dental office will impress and place your custom crown, bridge, or denture restoration.
Restoring the Health, Beauty and Function of Your Smile!
When properly cared for, dental implants can last a lifetime. At Red Hills Dental, Dr. Matthew Bergman, our St George implant expert and our team believe you deserve to enjoy a healthy and beautiful smile after tooth loss. Missing teeth can negatively impact your self-image, chewing capacity, speech, and overall health. Don’t let missing teeth be a hindrance in your life any longer. Contact our St. George dental office to schedule your dental implant consultation today!
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