What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are tooth replacements that consist of a metal post topped with a restoration like a crown, bridge, or denture. In a brief and minimally invasive surgical procedure, the post is placed in the jaw bone. This implant post develops a tight bond with the surrounding tissues of the bone as the surgical site heals. This gives the implant a strong foundation and provides stability for the restoration, which is visible above the gums. Think of your implant as a replacement for your natural tooth root.
Why Get Dental Implants?
Dental implants offer the obvious benefit of filling empty spaces in your smile. Filling in those gaps will certainly boost your confidence in your smile and prevent neighboring teeth from shifting out of place. But other tooth replacements like dentures and dental bridges do the same thing.
Implants are the ideal option because they can do something that dentures and bridges cannot: prevent facial collapse and function just like a natural tooth.
What Is Facial Collapse?
Your teeth give your smile its height. Losing most of your teeth will cause your nose and chin to meet closer together when you bite down. Wrinkles and sagging skin will also quickly form around your mouth when there is no framework of teeth to support your facial tissues. This is the first stage of facial collapse.
Bone loss is the next stage. When a permanent adult tooth is lost, there is no need for the bone tissue that once surrounded the roots of your natural tooth. Your body will dissolve that bone tissue in a natural and painless process so that the calcium and other minerals can be used elsewhere in your body.
The bone resorption process shrinks the area where your tooth used to be, creating a cratered appearance. If you are missing all or many of the teeth on the lower half of your mouth, then, over a period of ten or twenty years, your entire jawbone will gradually shrink in height. As your smile height collapses, facial wrinkles will deepen, and your profile will look aged.
You may experience this even if you’ve replaced your teeth with dentures. While dentures are a great option for many people, not everyone can wear them long-term due to the impact on their facial profile. Dentures concentrate the bite pressure on your gums and the top of your jawbone when your bite pressure is supposed to be concentrated in your jawbone. This excess pressure actually speeds up the process of facial collapse, causing many people to ditch the dentures and replace them with dental implants. You can regain some of the facial height you lost by doing so!
When you replace lost teeth with implants, the implant posts act like natural tooth roots and stimulate your jawbone to prevent shrinking. This makes dental implants the superior tooth replacement option compared to removable dentures, which merely rest on top of your gums.
What Is Facial Collapse?
Your teeth give your smile its height. Losing most of your teeth will cause your nose and chin to meet closer together when you bite down. Wrinkles and sagging skin will also quickly form around your mouth when there is no framework of teeth to support your facial tissues. This is the first stage of facial collapse.
Bone loss is the next stage. When a permanent adult tooth is lost, there is no need for the bone tissue that once surrounded the roots of your natural tooth. Your body will dissolve that bone tissue in a natural and painless process so that the calcium and other minerals can be used elsewhere in your body.
The bone resorption process shrinks the area where your tooth used to be, creating a cratered appearance. If you are missing all or many of the teeth on the lower half of your mouth, then, over a period of ten or twenty years, your entire jawbone will gradually shrink in height. As your smile height collapses, facial wrinkles will deepen, and your profile will look aged.
You may experience this even if you’ve replaced your teeth with dentures. While dentures are a great option for many people, not everyone can wear them long-term due to the impact on their facial profile. Dentures concentrate the bite pressure on your gums and the top of your jawbone when your bite pressure is supposed to be concentrated in your jawbone. This excess pressure actually speeds up the process of facial collapse, causing many people to ditch the dentures and replace them with dental implants. You can regain some of the facial height you lost by doing so!
When you replace lost teeth with implants, the implant posts act like natural tooth roots and stimulate your jawbone to prevent shrinking. This makes dental implants the superior tooth replacement option compared to removable dentures, which merely rest on top of your gums.
Dental Implants Function Like Natural Teeth
One of the primary complaints patients have with dentures and traditional dental bridges is that they don’t exactly mimic the function of natural teeth—especially dentures! If you have a pair of old or ill-fitting dentures, you’ll experience pain when chewing, loose teeth, whistling when you talk, and food restrictions. Since dental implants are surgically inserted into your jawbone, they’ll never move or cause you pain. They act exactly like a natural tooth so that you can eat all your favorite foods without worry.
Patient Testimonials
Benefits of Dental Implants
Boost your confidence
Dental implants can help you feel better about the appearance of your smile because they fill in unsightly gaps. Additionally, the stability implants provide to restorations like bridges and dentures will give you confidence that your restoration won’t fall out.
Enjoy improved nutrition
Owasso implants are just as strong as natural tooth roots. You can chew all kinds of foods easily and comfortably with dental implants. This opens up more possibilities when it comes to choosing a healthy diet.
Avoid facial collapse
Dental implants prevent bone resorption and preserve the height of your smile. A denture can temporarily improve your profile, but it cannot stop the gradual loss of bone in your jaw.
Natural look and feel. When it is done well, no one will ever be able to tell that your dental implant is not a real tooth. Implants also feel and function like natural teeth so that you will speak and eat normally.
Long-lasting
Unlike dentures and other tooth replacements, dental implants have the potential to last you a lifetime, provided you take good care of them.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Boost your confidence
Dental implants can help you feel better about the appearance of your smile because they fill in unsightly gaps. Additionally, the stability implants provide to restorations like bridges and dentures will give you confidence that your restoration won’t fall out.
Enjoy improved nutrition
Owasso implants are just as strong as natural tooth roots. You can chew all kinds of foods easily and comfortably with dental implants. This opens up more possibilities when it comes to choosing a healthy diet.
Avoid facial collapse
Dental implants prevent bone resorption and preserve the height of your smile. A denture can temporarily improve your profile, but it cannot stop the gradual loss of bone in your jaw.
Natural look and feel. When it is done well, no one will ever be able to tell that your dental implant is not a real tooth. Implants also feel and function like natural teeth so that you will speak and eat normally.
Long-lasting
Unlike dentures and other tooth replacements, dental implants have the potential to last you a lifetime, provided you take good care of them.
Getting Dental Implants in Owasso: The Process
Here is what you can expect from your treatment at Life Smiles of Owasso.
Step 1. Evaluation
Dr. Lim will perform a thorough examination of your dental health and bite to determine whether implants are right for you. You will have X-rays, photographs, and even a CT scan taken in order to capture a comprehensive picture of the structures in and around your mouth. Dr. Lim will let you know if he recommends implants and then reviews with you a suggested treatment plan that has been customized to your needs and preferences.
Step 2. Implant Placement
In a brief procedure, Dr. Lim will administer local anesthetic to the treatment site and then carefully create an opening in your gums and bone. He will place the implant screw in the site and then close up the gum tissue around it to allow your implant to heal undisturbed. If you have a tooth extracted prior to getting an implant, Dr. Lim may recommend building up the bone tissue in the socket to ensure a strong foundation for the implant. If you are nervous about the procedure, conscious sedation is available for your comfort.
Step 3. Healing
It takes several months for a dental implant to create a tight bond with the surrounding bone tissue in a process called “osseointegration.” An implant can only bear the forces of biting and chewing once it has integrated with the bone. It may take three to six months for your implant to fully heal. In the meantime, Dr. Lim will carefully monitor your progress. But don’t worry, your Owasso implant dentist will give you a temporary crown while you wait for your jaw to heal.
Step 4. Abutment Placement
The abutment is a small piece that connects your restoration to your dental implant screw. In most cases, the abutment is placed after the implant has successfully integrated with the bone tissue.
Step 5. Restoration
Dr. Lim will begin designing your restoration at the start of your dental implant journey, and you will be fitted for your restoration once your implant has healed. Dr. Lim makes dental implant crowns out of zirconia, a ceramic material that looks like natural tooth enamel but is as strong as metal.
Your Treatment Journey With Us
Dr. Lim places and restores both traditional dental implants and full-arch dental implant bridges, including All-on-4 dental implants. You can read more about these denture alternatives on our All-on-4 treatment page.
Since 1994, Dr. Lim has successfully placed thousands of dental implants. His treatment philosophy centers on taking a whole-health approach, and he has special training in creating balanced and functional bites.
Get Dental Implants in Owasso
If you would like to explore the possibility of restoring your smile with implants, request an appointment with Dr. Lim. You’ll be glad you choose the best dental implant dentist in Owasso to transform your smile and life.
