Dental Implants

Patients often ask me a variety of questions regarding dental implants.  A dental implant is an artificial tooth root (synthetic material) that is surgically anchored into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth, bridge or a denture in place. 

     In order to be a candidate to have implants, you must be in good health and have the proper bone structure and healthy gums for the implant to stay  in place.  The success rate for implants decreases if you suffer from problems such as clenching, grinding, diabetes, smoking and alcohol.

     A question which is asked every time I discuss implants is, “What is the success rate of implants?” Hundreds of thousands of dental implants have been placed over the last few years.  Research has been conducted all over the world and the success rate for implants has been between 90% to 97% over the last thirty years.

     The  main benefit of using dental implants is that they do not rely on neighboring teeth for support.  Your natural teeth are not altered in order to place a crown or bridge.  Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth.