Dental Implant Restorations - What Are Your Options?
Tooth loss is a serious dental condition, one that can affect the function, health, and appearance of your smile. While tooth loss should be a cause for concern, the good news is that missing teeth can be replaced by dental implant-supported restorations. A dental implant is surgically placed in the jawbone, effectively acting as the new root of the tooth. The restoration replaces the tooth’s crown, filling in the space left by the missing tooth. At Ridgewood Dental Associates, Drs. Jin Ha Joung, Mark Samani, and Min-Hee Cho offer different types of dental implant restorations to our Ridgewood, NJ patients. Whether you are missing a single tooth, multiple teeth, or all of your teeth, we can craft a custom restoration that looks natural and restores your dental function.
Single Tooth Replacement with Dental Crowns
If you are missing a single tooth in one quadrant of your mouth, it can be replaced with an implant-supported crown. In this case, we will place one dental implant into your jawbone. The implant will require a few months to fuse with the surrounding bone and gum tissue, in a process called osseointegration. When this healing period is complete, we will attach an abutment to the implant. The abutment connects the implant to the dental crown.
We will also take impressions of the gap let by the missing tooth and the surrounding teeth so our prosthodontists can fabricate a custom crown that offers an ideal fit and looks lifelike. To complete the treatment process, we will securely attach the crown to the abutment, restoring your dental health, appearance, and function.
Partial Tooth Replacement with Dental Bridges
If you are missing several consecutive teeth, we can replace the row of teeth with an implant-supported bridge. In this case, we will place one or two dental implants to hold the bridge in place. If the bridge will replace two teeth, one implant may be sufficient. To secure three or four prosthetic teeth, we may place two dental implants.
After the dental implant surgery and osseointegration period are complete, we will attach your custom bridge to the implant abutments. The bridge will consist of two to four consecutive prosthetic teeth that are fused together; these replacement teeth are designed to look natural and fill in the gap left by your missing teeth.
Complete Tooth Replacement with Dentures
If you are missing most or all of your teeth, implant-supported dentures may be the best treatment option. For patients missing all of the teeth in their upper or lower arch, we may recommend All-on-4® restorations. This treatment involves the placement of four mini dental implants in the upper or lower arch. These four implants can support a full arch of replacement teeth. In addition, the implants are placed at an angle, which maximizes bone density and makes more patients good candidates for the procedure. After the four implants are placed and have fused with surrounding tissues, a custom denture can be placed to provide patients with a full set of functional and natural looking teeth.
To find out if you are a good candidate for a dental implant-supported restoration, contact Ridgewood Dental Associates today.