Glendowie Dental Centre

Dental Implants

A dental implant serves as the replacement for the root portion of a missing natural tooth.

Glendowie dental centre offers a wide range of dental implant solutions including implant crowns and bridges. A dental implant is a titanium post (like a tooth root) that is surgically positioned into the jawbone beneath the gum line that allows your dentist to mount replacement teeth or a bridge into that area. An implant does not come loose like a denture can. Dental implants also benefit general oral health because they do not have to be anchored to other teeth, like dental bridges. Please phone to make an appointment with our friendly team today and let us help restore that beautiful smile.

What is Dental Implant?

A dental implant serves as the replacement for the root portion of a missing natural tooth. The basis for modern dental implants is a biologic process called osseointegration, in which materials such as titanium form an intimate bond to bone (osseointegrate). The implant fixture is first placed so that it is likely to osseointegrate.  After a period of time, the dental implant integrates with the bone and becomes a secure anchor for a replacement tooth, a fixed bridge, a removable partial, or a complete denture. 

Am I a Candidate for a Dental Implant?

If you are missing one or more teeth, then you may be a candidate for a dental implant. We can set up an appointment with Dr. Gin Wong where you will be able to discuss your individual clinical situation. Dental implants will allow you to smile, speak, and eat with confidence and comfort.

Success or failure of dental implants depends on the health of the person receiving the treatment, drugs which affect the chances of osseointegration, and the health of the tissues in the mouth. Smoking, chemotherapy and radiation treatment around face and neck greatly reduce the success rate of dental implants.  The amount of stress that will be put on the dental implant and fixture during normal function must also be evaluated. Planning the position and number of implants is key to the long-term health of the prosthetic since biomechanical forces created during chewing can be significant. The position of implants is determined by the position and angle of adjacent teeth, by lab simulations and surgical guides called stents.

Dental implants are very successful with the right candidate.  The improvements in design, biomechanical property and technology have greatly improved the success rate of dental implants.  In the presence of healthy tissues, a well-integrated implant with appropriate biomechanical loads can have 5-year plus survival rates from 93 to 98 percent and 10 to 15 year lifespan for the prosthetic teeth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a dental implant be used as an alternative to root canal treatment?

YES! Not all teeth are good candidates for root canal treatment. Root canal treated teeth are susceptible to decay and fracture, while implants are not susceptible to decay and almost never break. Implants are an excellent and prudent alternative to the root canal, post and core, crown lengthening, and crowning procedures. Often the cost of saving a tooth with a variety of treatments can exceed that of the placement and restoration of a dental implant.

How much pain will I experience? 

Usually there is minimal to no pain. While undergoing treatment you will receive local anaesthesia (or other forms of anaesthesia). You may have mild post-surgical soreness for up to 72 hours. An over the counter pain reliever will alleviate the discomfort for most patients. 

What will be the appearance of my mouth during treatment? 

The dentist may provide you with a transitional prosthesis that will have the look and feel that you need during this period of healing. With the implants it is often possible to have a fixed transitional tooth immediately after the placement of the implant. 

How much time is required to have an implant procedure? 

A single dental implant placement is usually completed in less than an hour as an office procedure with local anaesthesia. The implant is then allowed to heal with the bone for a minimum of twelve weeks. If you have poor quality bone and bone-grafting procedures are necessary the overall process can take up to eight months or more. Your dentist will determine which surgical procedure is best for you.

In the early stages of implant development, dental implant systems used a two-stage approach believing that it improves the odds of initial implant survival. Subsequent research suggests that no difference in implant survival exists between one-stage and two-stage surgeries and the choice of whether or not to “bury” the implant in the first stage of surgery became a concern of soft tissue (gingiva) management.

In two stage approach, after an implant is placed, the internal components are covered with either a healing abutment, or a cover screw. A healing abutment passes through the soft tissue, and the surrounding soft tissue is adapted around it. A cover screw is flush with the surface of the dental implant, and is designed to be completely covered by soft tissue. After an integration period, a second surgery is required to reflect the softtissue and place a healing abutment.

An increasingly common strategy to preserve bone and reduce treatment times includes the placement of a dental implant into a recent extraction site. A highly aesthetic temporary crown can be placed onto the dental implants which is called immediate loading.  This is commonly placed in the front region of mouth as high aesthetic demand.  This procedure shortens treatment time and can improve aesthetics because the soft tissue envelope is preserved.

Dental implants are permanent and once is place can be treated to normal healthy tooth usage. Stages of the procedure are done in our Glendowie surgery and in partnership with a Periodontist.