Dental implants are artificial tooth roots that we place into the jawbone to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. They function like a natural tooth root would. The implants are typically held in place using a screw, which anchors into the jawbone. However, there are also implants that sit on top of the bone, beneath the gum line. These are for patients who can’t wear conventional dentures and don’t have adequate bone to properly hold traditional implants.
Dental implants can hold a single tooth, an implant-supported bridge with several teeth, or a full set of implant-supported dentures if you need to have all your teeth replaced. Replacement teeth may be permanent or removable, and the implants give them the support to function like your natural teeth.
If you are missing teeth and want a permanent solution to replace them, Dr. Murphy will talk with you and put together a treatment plan outlining what will take place. The procedure for positioning dental implants includes first placing one or more titanium posts in the jaw in place of the missing tooth roots. As a result, the jawbone will grow around the post typically in 16 weeks, anchoring the post in place. Then we add a small connector post to hold the replacement tooth or teeth. We can then fabricate your new crowns (teeth) based on the shape and color of your existing teeth in our office.
If you have implants and/or replacement teeth that need to be restored, we can help. Just make an appointment for a consultation.
