Traditional Dental Implant – Ideal Choice for Replacing a Missing Tooth
Losing a single tooth is a common problem, and most people, if the tooth is in their smile line will want to get it replaced as soon as possible. However, it’s important to replace any tooth that is missing as its loss can affect your overall dental health. Each tooth supports and protects other teeth.
When you lose a tooth, the teeth adjacent to the gap will soon begin to drift toward this space, destabilizing these teeth, and it can affect your bite.
To prevent this from happening call for a Free Consultation in our Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn NY office with the Brooklyn dental implant dentist Dr. Umanoff at LuxDen Dental Implants Center: ☎ 1-718-382-3444.
Also, as the teeth drift out of place, it can create an unsightly appearance.
The bone that used to surround your natural tooth root quickly begins to resorb, and which can further destabilize the teeth adjacent. A single tooth implant is a cost-effective long-term solution that protects and preserves your existing natural teeth and your bite, and it protects your jawbone.
Why Choose a Single Tooth Implant?
Traditional options include partial dentures and dental bridges, but a single tooth implant is the gold standard treatment. Single tooth implants are self-supporting and provide significant support and protection for the adjacent teeth. The procedure to plan and place single tooth implants is relatively quick and non-invasive.
Other alternative options:
- Partial dentures are supported by clasps around your existing natural teeth and which can weaken these teeth, potentially causing problems or even their loss in the future. Also, partial dentures cannot provide a similar biting or chewing strength compared with natural teeth or implant teeth.
- Dental bridges are supported by natural teeth that must be substantially ground down and reshaped so they can be crowned. The crowns are attached to the replacement tooth or pontic, creating a strong and stable prosthesis. However, you will find any dentist is reluctant to reshape healthy teeth because removing any healthy tooth structure increases the risk of tooth decay and infection in these teeth in the future.
Who Is Suitable for a Single Tooth Implant?
Single tooth implants are suitable for anyone with reasonable dental and general health, and whose teeth and jaws have finished growing and developing.
You cannot have any signs of active periodontal disease or other dental problems, and certain medical conditions may increase the risk of implant failure.
What Is the Procedure for a Single Tooth Implant?
The procedure for a single tooth implant is very straightforward, but you will need an initial consultation at LuxDen, the dental implant center. Our experienced implant dentist, Dr. Leonard Umanoff, must examine your teeth and jaws and will discuss your dental and medical history, ensuring you are suitable for treatment.
If the failing tooth still needs to be extracted, Dr. Umanoff can discuss whether to do this during implant surgery or beforehand and can talk to you about other possible single tooth implant costs such as bone grafting and a temporary tooth. Although we might be able to give you a rough estimate, you will learn more about front tooth implant costs following diagnostic tests.
Diagnostic Tests
We use a cone beam CT scan to plan every dental implant treatment at LuxDen Dental Center as the scan provides valuable information about your jawbone and the location of structures that must be avoided during implant surgery. Every surgery is computer-guided, providing more precise and predictable treatment outcomes, which, in turn, ensure happier patients. Dr. Umanoff might also want to take other diagnostic tests such as a panoramic x-ray, dental impressions, or photographs of your teeth.
Planning Single Tooth Implant Surgery
Your diagnostic tests are used to determine the best location for your implant, which is critical to ensure treatment achieves excellent aesthetic and functional results. Computer software is used to manipulate these images, determining the depth and angulation of the implant, and deciding which implant system is best for your needs. Once the treatment plan is complete, we create a surgical stent or template for use during placement.
Placing Your Dental Implant
Single tooth implants are usually completed using local anesthetic because the procedure is relatively short and comfortable. A small incision is made in the gums to expose the underlying bone. Once exposed, the surgical stent is used to guide implant placement, ensuring Dr. Umanoff replicates the treatment plan accurately.
Afterward, a healing cap is placed over the implant to protect it while the implant bonds with the bone. The healing cap allows us to manage your gum tissue properly, shaping it so that once we place your implant tooth, it is surrounded with healthy gum tissue, creating an aesthetically pleasing effect.
Fitting Your Implant Crown
A temporary tooth can be fitted during implant placement and which is worn during the healing period when osseointegration must occur. After osseointegration during which your implant fuses with the surrounding bone, we remove the healing cap, and your implant crown fitted, completing your implant procedure.
What to Expect after Single Tooth Implant Surgery?
Single tooth implant surgery typically takes an hour or less to complete, so recovery is very quick. Because surgery is computer guided, the need for incisions and stitches is minimized, so healing is faster and more comfortable. We will provide precise instructions on how to care for the implant site while it heals, and we may recommend using antimicrobial mouth rinse for the first week following surgery. It is better to avoid biting or chewing in that region of your mouth while the implant heals as it must remain undisturbed during this process.
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Single Tooth Implants?
Advantages of single tooth implants include:
- Minimally invasive and quick oral surgery.
- Single tooth implants protect and help to preserve your natural teeth.
- A single tooth implant is easy to care for and can be brushed and flossed normally.
- Single tooth implants are long-lasting and can be more cost-effective compared with a three-tooth bridge.
- Treatment is predictable and has a high success rate.
- Single tooth implants look and feel natural, restoring your ability to bite, chew, talk, and smile comfortably and confidently.
Disadvantages of single tooth implants include:
- Treatment is initially more expensive compared with other options, but it does offer a long-term solution.
- People with decayed or infected teeth adjacent to the gap may prefer a three-tooth bridge that protects and restores these teeth also.
Single tooth implants are very easy to care for as you can brush them normally and can floss right around them without using any special tools. It is important to adhere to an excellent oral hygiene routine that includes regular checkups and cleanings with your dentist.
Cost for a Single Dental Implant
The cost of a single dental implant can vary tremendously depending on the type of dental implants and the type of crown used to restore the tooth. Implant crowns for single dental implant materials can have a precious metal substructure that is covered up with porcelain or they may be all-ceramic or can be made from zirconia. The costs of these crowns can vary considerably. Read more about titanium vs zirconia dental implants.
Do you have any questions about the single tooth implants placement? Would you like to schedule an appointment with one of the best dental implant dentist in Brooklyn Dr. Umanoff of LuxDen Dental Implants Center, please contact our office for consultation with the dentist.