What are Traditional Implants?

Great design improvements have been made over the years for dental implants. The shapes have changed and so have the threads and the coating of the titanium. All these factors have increased the success and decreased the time to place them.

They are titanium fixtures greater than 3mm in diameter that are placed in the jaw (bone) to replace single or multiple missing teeth. They can be placed in areas of the jaw where no teeth are present, or can be immediately placed into a tooth socket after the tooth has been removed. We term this procedure immediate implant placement. The bone is allowed to heal around the implant. In three to six months the bone has actually fused (integrated) to the implant. The implant can then be used to replace a missing tooth or teeth, or to anchor another form of dental prosthesis.
When are Traditional Implants used instead of Mini Dental Implants (MDI’s)?

When the bone height available is very short.

• When there is a large amount of bone width available.
• When immediate implant placement is desired after a tooth extraction.
• When the quality of bone remaining is poor requiring a two stage procedure.
• When the sinus or vital structures are in close proximity.

Keep in mind, dental implants rank among the most highly successful dental procedures performed.

Why are dental implants frequently the best treatment option?

Implant dentistry is the most advanced therapy available to treat missing teeth for numerous reasons. Three important benefits of implant treatment are described below.

Implants Preserve Bone!

The VELscope system uses enhanced tissue fluorescence visualization technology to directly view the oral mucosa much more effectively than can be achieved with the naked eye. The VELscope represents the first oral application of this technology and has had numerous papers and case studies published supporting its ability to help discover oral mucosal abnormalities, including oral cancer and pre-cancer.

Implants Promote Overall Health

People with missing teeth have trouble eating certain fruits, vegetables, and meats. Eliminating these items from your diet can lead to poor nutrition, and failure to chew these items properly can lead to digestive problems. It has been clinically shown that people with poor chewing function are on significantly more (17%) medications for gastrointestinal disorders than those with good chewing function. Implants stabilize your prosthesis to enable good chewing function, allow you to eat a balanced diet, and minimize digestive problems.

Implants Save Neighboring Teeth

When only one tooth is missing, a bridge requires neighboring teeth to be ground down to serve as supporting posts. Removing protective layers of neighboring teeth makes them more prone to decay. Proper hygiene is challenging with a bridge, and as a result, many people experience additional tooth loss. A bridge can turn a one-tooth problem into a three-tooth problem! Implants only treat the tooth that is already lost, and therefore, are a one-tooth solution to a one-tooth problem.