Dental Implants – Schaumburg, IL
Filling in Gaps in Your Grin for Good
Dental implants are the only permanent solution available to replace missing teeth. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve lost a tooth due to decay, trauma, or overcrowding; it’s important to visit your dentist immediately. Because teeth support each other, it only takes one missing tooth to cause the surrounding teeth to shift. When this happens, chewing often becomes difficult, and speech patterns can become impaired.
Widely considered to be the most durable and functional tooth replacement option available, dental implants in Schaumburg are becoming the go-to procedure to fill the space left by a missing tooth. That’s because the long-term consequences of tooth loss can be serious. Large voids between teeth eventually become difficult to clean, which is why tooth decay and periodontal disease (or gum disease) often follow tooth loss. While some turn to temporary solutions—such as dental bridges or removable dentures—patients who want a permanent solution look to dental implants. At our dental office, we can place dental implants in-house so that you don’t have to travel to a separate dental office to see a specialist.
What Are Dental Implants?
You can think of a dental implant as a prosthetic tooth root. Each implant post is made out of titanium and shaped like a screw. When dental implants are placed in the jaw, they can eventually fuse with the surrounding bone. As a result, dental implants are stronger and more stable than traditional tooth replacements, and they have a much longer lifespan. Depending on how many teeth are missing, a specific number of implant posts can be used to support a crown, a bridge, or a denture.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
- Step one is to schedule a consultation at our dental office. We’ll need to examine your mouth to make sure dental implants are right for you. Sometimes we might find that bone grafts and other preliminary procedures will need to be performed before you can receive implants.
- Once we’re sure that you’re a good candidate, we can schedule your dental implant placement surgery. The posts will be carefully inserted into the jawbone at specific angles. A protective cap will be placed on each post to keep them safe.
- Thanks to a process called osseointegration, your implants will bond with the surrounding bone over the next three to six months. Afterward, we’ll attach a connector piece called an abutment to each post.
- Your new crown, bridge, or denture, will be custom-designed in a dental lab. Once it’s ready, we’ll use the abutments to secure it to your implants.
Benefits of Dental Implants
When you use dental implants to replace your missing teeth, you’ll be able to take advantage of the following benefits:
- Prevention of Bone Loss: The jawbone tends to deteriorate when teeth are missing, but the stimulation from dental implants can prevent this from happening. This helps you maintain a strong, well-formed jaw in the long term.
- No Diet Restrictions: Dental implants have enough chewing power to handle virtually any kind of meal or snack. This includes red meat, nuts, and other foods that often prove problematic for people who wear traditional dentures.
- Comfort: After they’ve joined with your jawbone, your dental implants will feel like a natural part of your mouth.
- Easy Maintenance: Dental implants are very easy to take care of; you can simply brush and floss the way you normally would.
Who Dental Implants Can Help
Most people who are missing at least one tooth are eligible for dental implants. To have the surgery performed, you need to have good oral health overall as well as an adequate level of bone density in your jaw. We’ll let you know if any preliminary treatments will be needed before you can have dental implants placed. Thanks to their versatility, dental implants can be a viable option in the following tooth loss situations:
Missing One Tooth
To replace the tooth that was lost, a single implant post will be placed in the open socket. After your mouth has fully healed, a single crown will be attached to the implant. Said crown will be made out of tooth-colored materials that are shaded to be virtually indistinguishable from your natural enamel; the average person won’t be able to tell which tooth was the one that had to be replaced.
Missing Multiple Teeth
Three or more consecutive missing teeth can be replaced with a personalized dental bridge attached to two dental implants. For multiple gaps, you can get an implant-supported partial denture; the exact number of implant posts required for this type of restoration will vary based on the number of teeth that you’ve lost.
Missing All of Your Teeth
Oftentimes, only four to six implant posts are needed to anchor a full denture in place in order to replace all of the teeth in a single arch. Implants eliminate the risk of your dentures slipping at the wrong moment. Furthermore, in many cases, we can design implant dentures so that they stay in your mouth for 24 hours a day and can be brushed like real teeth.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
You’ll be given an estimate for the cost of your dental implants during your initial consultation. The amount you pay will depend on factors such as the number of teeth that need to be replaced and whether preliminary procedures are required. While dental implants usually cost more than traditional bridges and dentures, they also don’t have to be replaced as often, which can make them the more cost-effective option in the long term.