Dental Implants

Throughout time many options have existed to replace missing teeth, including traditional porcelain bridges, partial or complete dentures, and dental implants. Dental implants are the easiest and most natural way to replace lost teeth. Implant dentistry represents the most predictable and widely used method of replacing lost teeth today. There is no reason to live with missing teeth. Not only does a full set of teeth improve self esteem but it makes the surrounding teeth stronger by decreasing unnecessary stresses on the natural teeth. Dental implants involve titanium screw to replace the missing tooth root, with a porcelain crown cemented permanently onto the titanium screw to replace the tooth above the gum line. Dental implants look and feel like natural teeth and are not removable. We invite you to explore the many options of replacing your lost teeth.

A second chance at a smile

Patients and their dentists are choosing dental implants more and more. Once considered experimental, today's implants have a success rate of 95-97 percent because of better technology and greater skill by dentists. Dr. Patterson has a desire to take care of his patients, and is interested in both their medical and psychological well-being. Whether to replace one or several teeth, dental implants enable patients to have a fixed tooth prosthesis that will last decades.

Where teeth once were

Dental implants are often titanium fixtures that either fit on top of the jawbone or are placed in the bone. Many are shaped like cylinders or screws, mimicking the shape of the tooth's root. The bone grows around and attaches itself to the implant, securing it. During this time the implants are usually beneath the gums. Once the healing is completed, a second minor surgery is done to expose the implants in the mouth. Permanent porcelain bridges or individual teeth are cemented or screwed onto the posts. The procedure is done on an outpatient basis. Small doses of local anesthesia are administered until the area is numb and ready for the surgery. Usually the surgery takes less than an hour with the patient walking out of the office with little or no discomfort.

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