Dental Implants In Waukesha, WI

Dental implants have become a very popular and practical way of replacing a missing tooth. Although they have been placed as far back as the 1960’s, the past fifteen years have seen changes in the procedure that make them a popular and routine practice in modern dentistry.

Implants also provide a better alternative treatment than dealing with a bridge, removable partial or complete dentures.

For many years bridges, partial dentures, and complete dentures were the only options available for replacing a missing tooth. However, with the modern advancement of dental implantology, dentists are now able to offer superior treatment with dental implants for their patients.

Important Facts about dental implants:

Dental Implants…

• are the most advanced tooth replacement system ever devised.
• help preserve the jawbone to prevent appearance of premature aging.
• look and function like natural teeth.
• improve comfort, appearance, and speech.
• are placed/restored in the doctor’s office with minimal discomfort.
• have an outstanding success rate.
• allow you to eat the foods you love, and talk, smile and laugh with confidence.
• represent a conservative treatment option – adjacent teeth are left untouched.
• never develop decay.
• never require a root canal.
• can provide great stability for a lower denture.
• can completely eliminate the need for a denture.
• can help people of any age.
• give patients a third set of teeth that are natural looking and very long-lasting.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Are you missing one or more natural teeth?

Do you have a complete or partial denture that is no longer completely comfortable?

Have you even been embarrassed by a denture or bridge?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, call us today at 262-542-2293 to schedule an evaluation appointment. We would be pleased to evaluate your oral health and discuss treatment options with you.

How do dental implants work?

Implants are made of titanium in the shape of a single root and are surgically placed into the upper or lower jaw by an oral surgeon.

The crown is attached to the implant with an abutment that fits into the implant. We can make them look very natural and often enhance or restore a patient’s smile!

The process of having a missing tooth replaced with an implant

The procedure for having a missing tooth replaced with an implant actually requires several visits to the oral surgeon and our office over the course of three to six months.

Initially our dentists will take digital X-rays and sometimes an impression of the jaw and teeth. This is used to determine the amount of gum tissue, bone, and available spacing for the implant.

After the digital X-rays and impressions are taken, an implant will be surgically placed into the jawbone by an oral surgeon. A healing period between three and six months after the surgery will be needed. This time is to allow the implant root form to integrate itself to the bone and gums.

After the healing period, we take impressions of the top and bottom jaws and the implant abutment. The impression is sent to a lab where the crown will be made. A second appointment is typically scheduled two weeks after impressions so the dentist can put in the abutment and implant crown.

The advantages of dental implants versus dentures or bridges?

Some of the many advantages of implants include:

CLEANSABILITY: Cleaning implants is like cleaning natural teeth. You have to clean under a bridge with floss threaders and food can impact under a bridge. The difficulty of cleaning under a bridge and the collection of plaque makes the bridge susceptible to decay on the teeth that it is cemented to which would result in having to replace the bridge again. The teeth next to the space have to be drilled down to cement the bridge and there is a 10% chance that one or both of those teeth could need root canal treatment if the teeth die as a result of the preparation of the teeth.

COMFORT: Dental implants are just like having your teeth back and are an integral part of your mouth and offer great comfort. There is no noticeable difference between them and your natural teeth.

ENHANCED APPEARANCE: Implants provide enhanced appearance because they look like your natural teeth.

IMPROVED SPEECH: Unlike dental bridges or dentures which can sometime impair your speech, implants are positioned in the mouth like natural teeth so you won’t have to deal with speech issues.

CHEWING AND EATING: Implants function just like natural teeth, so you can chew and eat with them like any other tooth.

BETTER ORAL HEALTH: Missing teeth carry the potential of causing infection, decay, or tooth drifting which can change your bite. You are much less likely to experience any of these problems with a dental implant and exercising proper dental hygiene.