Dental Implants
At Complete Dental Care of Jamesburg in Jamesburg, New Jersey, Jeffrey Shapiro, DDS, and his team specialize in dental implant restorations and use a state-of-the-art lab. While dental implants can replace the missing tooth root, the dental restoration that sits on top of the implant needs to be strong and well-made to withstand time and restore your oral health to its original state. To set up a consultation for dental implant restoration, call the office or book online today.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are sturdy titanium posts that an oral surgeon places in your jawbone. Due to the ever-regenerating nature of bone, your jawbone can integrate with the implants so that they stay in place permanently. Once the healing process is complete, you can attach restorations like crowns or bridges to the implant or implants to replace missing teeth.
Dental implants function in the same way as natural tooth roots. When you lose a tooth and its root, the underlying jawbone becomes weaker and loses mass. Furthermore, your other teeth can drift into the gap if there is nothing stopping them, and having a gap can alter the shape of your face.
Dental implants help your jawbone maintain its structure and prevent new misalignment from tooth shifting. They also help restore your optimal chewing and speaking skills.
What is the dental implant restoration process?
Dr. Shapiro and his team at Complete Dental Care of Jamesburg specialize in dental implant restoration, which is the process of attaching custom restorations to dental implants that are already in place.
Because they use a high-end intraoral scanner, they don’t need to use messy or sticky materials to make accurate impressions to create your restorations. They send these impressions to a state-of-the-art lab to mill high-quality, custom restorations that look and function similarly to your original teeth.
Once your restorations are ready, Dr. Shapiro and his team test their fit before attaching them to the implant abutments. Some abutments allow for restorations to screw onto them while others require dental cement to stay in place. Dr. Shapiro fills you in on the steps of your treatment before you start.
Which types of dental implant restorations can I get?
Several types of restorations can attach to dental implants, and Dr. Shapiro helps you select the type that meets your needs effectively. Your options include:
Crowns
A single dental crown can attach to a dental implant to replace a missing tooth, filling the gap perfectly and preventing misalignment that develops when your teeth shift into the gap.
Bridges
Dental bridges can replace several teeth in a row. Traditional bridges attach to prepared teeth on the sides of the gap with crowns, but implant-supported bridges latch onto implant abutments instead.
Overdentures
Implant overdentures are a type of denture that snaps on and off of four dental implants for better stability. Dr. Shapiro designs these dentures to replace a full row of missing teeth.
All-on-4® implant-supported dentures
All-on-4 is a system that includes four dental implants evenly spaced across your upper or lower jawbone. Once in place, Dr. Shapiro can fix a custom, permanent denture set onto them.
To find out more about dental implants, their restorations, and the planning that goes into the process, call Complete Dental Care of Jamesburg, or book an appointment online today.