Dental Implants

Dental implants are the closest things to natural teeth! They’re an exciting and effective way to replace missing teeth. One implant can be used to restore a single lost or congenitally missing tooth, or several implants can be used to help with any combination of fixed bridges and removable or fixed dentures. 

As the implants heal, they merge with the jawbone, imitating an authentic tooth-to-jawbone relationship.

Although implants take time and can be expensive, the results are the closest thing dentistry has to giving you back your natural smile. (If necessary, implants may be fixed or replaced at a cost much lower than the initial payment.)

Benefits of Dental Implants

Dental implants are a permanent solution that can last a lifetime if they’re cared for properly.

Dental implants are the closest thing to natural teeth! They connect to your jawbone and are unable to move or slip out of place. Because dental implants feel and function like natural teeth, they restore your bite force and enable you to speak naturally. 

You can continue normal dental care with dental implants. Brush your teeth twice a day as normal; you can also use a water flossing device to loosen debris and prevent plaque from building up. There’s no need for specialized flossers or cleansing tablets. 

Dental implants have helped a number of our patients to regain their confidence and start loving their smile again. Nobody will be able to tell that you have dental implants. They’re specially-designed to blend in with the surrounding teeth in color, shape and size. Dental implants also support your facial structure to prevent your face from changing its shape and appearing ‘sunken in’ or aged due to missing teeth. Dental implants give you a second chance at a beautiful smile.

Types of Dental Implants

There are three main types of “teeth” that can be used with implants:

Pre-Implant Surgeries to Maximize Bone Support

In order to provide patients with strong implants, sometimes it is necessary to perform pre-implant surgeries to maximize bone support. These include socket preservation/reconstruction, guided bone regeneration, and sinus augmentation.

Socket Preservation or Reconstruction

When a tooth is extracted, it leaves behind a hole, or socket. There are times when an implant can be placed directly into this socket, however, when too much bone is lost, the socket needs to be filled in, or rebuilt. This includes using bone grafts and membrane in combination with PRP to prepare the site for a stable implant.

Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) Technique

When a tooth or multiple teeth have been missing for some time, the underlying bone goes through changes that cause it to shrink. GBR is a technique that uses bone grafting, membranes, and PRP to help bulk the bony ridge in order to support an implant. 

GBR can also be accomplished by a technique called “ridge splitting.” This technique can be used to accomplish both widening the bone and implant placement in one surgery.

Sinus Augmentation

In the upper jaw, placing implants depends on the amount of bone present in reference to your sinuses. In some patients, the sinuses are such that there is not enough bone to safely place an implant. Sinus augmentation can be done either directly, by opening a window into the sinus, or indirectly through the same site used for the implant.

Have questions about dental implants?

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions! We’re dedicated to providing expert periodontal care for the people in and around our communities.

Our experienced periodontists use state-of-the-art technologies throughout all of our services, because your comfort is most important to us. Find out why Periodontal Health Center is one of the top periodontists in Tampa and New Port Richey when you schedule an appointment with us.