Dental Implants – Jackson, MS

What Are Dental Implants?

A dental implant consists of three main parts: a biocompatible implant post, a custom-made restoration, and a metal abutment. The post is surgically placed in your jaw, where it fuses with the surrounding bone until it’s fully attached. Then we can attach a restoration made to look like your natural teeth to the post via the abutment. Because the implant joins with your jaw the way your natural teeth do, your new smile will look and feel that much more lifelike.

The 4 Step Dental Implant Process

The dental implant process takes place over the course of several months or longer. Granted, that can seem like a long time! However, you can expect the end results to be well worth any inconveniences that you face along the way. Are you curious about what you can expect during the treatment journey that awaits you? During your consultation, we can provide specific details. In the meantime, here is a general overview of the four main steps of dental implant treatment:

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

During your first implant visit, we will examine your mouth to determine how many implants you will need and what preliminary procedures might need to be completed before the surgery. For example, some patients require gum disease treatment or a bone graft. We will also learn about your medical history, relevant lifestyle factors, and goals for treatment. Then, we can give you an outline of what the rest of the process will look like.

Feel free to ask plenty of questions during your consultation. We want you to feel well-informed before you commit to anything.

Dental Implant Surgery

We perform this delicate part of the dental implant process right here in our office, so you will not need to worry about dealing with expensive outside specialists.

During implant surgery, one of the first things we will do is make you comfortable.  Thanks to local anesthesia and possible sedation, you may feel little to nothing during your procedure. To place your implants, we will open your gums so that the implant posts can be inserted into the bone in their pre-planned locations. Then we will stitch the gums closed and send you home so you can begin your recovery.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment Placement

Osseointegration is the months-long process of the implants fusing with the surrounding jawbone. It is what allows the implants to serve as sturdy and strong prosthetic tooth roots.

After adequate osseointegration has occurred, you may need to undergo a second surgical procedure. We will expose your implants and place healing caps on them. Later, the healing caps will be replaced by abutments, small connector pieces that will serve to keep your new crown, bridge, or denture securely attached to your implants. (Some patients receive abutments during their initial implant surgery, so this second procedure is not always necessary.)

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

We will take detailed impressions of your mouth to design the final restoration. The impression will go to a trustworthy laboratory, where talented technicians will fabricate your restoration. Its size, shape, and color will all be customized to fit your unique mouth and complement your facial features. Once it is ready, we will double-check that it meets our rigorous quality standards. Then, we can attach it to the posts and put the finishing touches on your new smile. You will be able to start enjoying the benefits of your restored teeth right away!

Benefits of Dental Implants

You’ll have a much easier time chewing a wide variety of foods with dental implants that offer chewing power similar to that of your original teeth. Furthermore, the stimulation from dental implants helps prevent resorption in the surrounding bone, letting you maintain a healthier and more youthful-looking jaw. Finally, dental implants have the potential to last the rest of your life, yet they only require minimal maintenance that’s not much different from taking care of your original teeth.

Who Dental Implants Can Help

If you are an adult with missing teeth, good oral health, and a jaw that has not yet suffered from bone loss, you are most likely a good candidate for dental implants. Even if you can’t currently have the surgery performed, you might be eligible after bone grafting or other preliminary procedures. Keep in mind that dental implants are highly versatile compared to other replacement options; with enough posts and the right restoration, they can be used to replace any number of teeth.

Missing One Tooth

You just need to get one dental implant post to replace a single missing tooth. Once the area around the implant has healed, we can restore it with a dental crown made entirely out of tooth-colored materials. Said crown will be custom designed to fill in the space in your smile so that your remaining teeth don’t drift out of place.

Missing Multiple Teeth

We can attach a dental bridge to a pair of implant posts to replace at least three teeth in a row. Unlike a traditional dental bridge, an implant bridge doesn’t require us to remove any enamel from your natural teeth, so it’s often the better choice for your oral health in the long run.

Missing All of Your Teeth

When you’ve lost an entire row of teeth, you can get a full denture supported by at least 4 implant posts. A denture that’s anchored to implants will not slip, and it will make it possible to enjoy a wider variety of foods thanks to improved biting strength and stability.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants

The amount you pay for dental implants depends on how many posts are used, the type of restoration they’ll support, any preliminary treatments required before the surgery, and many other factors. Implants tend to cost more than traditional dentures and bridges, but they also last much longer on average, meaning you won’t spend as much on replacements over the years. Our team can go over the cost of dental implants in more detail during your consultation.