Areté Dental

Single-tooth implants can be used in people who are missing one or more teeth. An implant is surgically placed in an opening that your dentist makes in the jawbone. After the implant integrates (attaches) to your bone, it acts as a new "root" for the crown that will replace your missing tooth. A crown, which is made to look like a natural tooth, is attached to the implant and fills the space left in the mouth by the missing tooth.

​

For this procedure to work, there must be enough bone in the jaw. The bone has to be strong enough to hold and support the implant. If there is not enough bone, it may need to be added with a procedure called bone augmentation or bone grafting. In addition, natural teeth and supporting tissues near where the implant will be placed must be in good health.

 

Why it's done
Dental implants are surgically placed in your jawbone, where they serve as the roots of missing teeth. Because the titanium in the implants fuses with your jawbone, the implants won't slip, make noise or cause bone damage the way fixed bridgework or dentures might. And the materials can't decay like your own teeth that support regular bridgework can. 

In general, dental implants may be right for you if you:

• Have one or more missing teeth

• Have a jawbone that's reached full growth

• Have adequate bone to secure the implants or are able to have a bone graft

• Have healthy oral tissues

• Don't have health conditions that will affect bone healing

• Want to improve your speech

• Are willing to commit several months to the process

 

​

 

When bone grafting is required

 

Your dentist may need to transplant a small portion of bone — commonly from another site in the upper or lower jawbone —

to give the dental implant a solid foundation. 

If your jawbone isn't thick enough or is too soft, you may need

bone grafting before you can have dental implant surgery.

That's because the powerful chewing action of your mouth

exerts great pressure on your bone, and if it can't support

the implant, the surgery likely would fail. A bone graft can

create a more solid base for the implant. 

​

With bone grafting, a piece of bone is removed from another

part of your jaw or your body — your hip, for example — and transplanted to your jawbone. It may take up to nine months

for the transplanted bone to grow enough new bone to support

a dental implant. In some cases, you may need only minor bone grafting, which can be done at the same time as the implant surgery. The condition of your jawbone determines how you proceed.