What Are Dental Implants?
What are Full Mouth Implants, Single Implants & All on Four?
Dental implants are placed in the bone of the upper or lower jaw where they permanently bond with the bone and serve as an anchor for the replacement tooth (referred to as a Crown). Since dental implants can be used to replace multiple teeth, the implant can also serve to anchor a bridge or, in tandem with additional implants, it can even support a full denture.
Dental implants look, feel and function like natural teeth, and with proper care can last a lifetime.
Dental Implant Solutions from Apple
Ready To Book Your Consultation?
Request an no-obligation consultation to see what will work best for you!
The most commonly used Dental implants are commercially pure titanium screws which mimic the shape and function of your natural tooth root. Titanium brings the perfect of Biocompatibility and strength to the mix making it the best choice and one of the most well accepted naturally occurring materials, by our bodies.
After an implant is screwed into the jaw bone, the body works to accept and fuse it with the surrounding bone, by a process called, osteointegration. In simple words, the bone grows into the small microscopic crevices in the surface of the implant and thus ensures they remain strongly placed.
Dental implants are strong enough to support prosthesis (crowns/bridges) to replace missing teeth and loss of function. They act and behave as close to natural teeth as possible and maintaining them is also as easy as maintaining your natural teeth. With proper care and maintenance, they can last a lifetime.
Dental implants are a proven restorative option with a long clinical history of many successful cases and happy implant recipients. In addition to allowing you to recover the joy of eating and chewing the foods you love, dental implants can also preserve the integrity of the facial structure (protecting your remaining teeth and preventing bone loss). Learn why dental implants are the most popular method for replacing missing teeth.
The major limiting factor in determining whether you can have an implant to replace a missing tooth is whether there is sufficient bone remaining to accept the implant. This can be determined with an x-ray and a comprehensive examination of your oral tissues and supporting bone (jaw).
At Apple Dental Implant Centre our trained team includes a certified prosthodontic specialist with a wide variety of implant capabilities and versatile expertise. We offer a large selection of implant options from single tooth replacement dental implants and multiple tooth replacement dental implants, to full mouth implants which ensures that your procedure is the most appropriate implant option for you. Additionally, when you get your dental implant at one of our Apple Dental Implant Centres across BC you can feel confident that you are not only getting some of the most competitively priced dental implants in BC, but that you are getting dental implants backed by a team with a long history in implant dentistry.
A single implant can be used to support a single crown for a single missing tooth.
An implant may be used to replace almost any missing teeth, provided there is adequate bone at the site. If not, modern procedures can usually be performed to regenerate enough bone to safely place an implant. Implants are placed in the bone below the gum tissue and a temporary screw is placed to allow it to heal and fuse completely with bone. In some cases, a temporary crown may be possible to hold cosmetic space for the patient while the implant fully integrates with the bone.
An implant may be used to replace almost any missing tooth [click to enlarge]
Compared to conventional choices of tooth replacement, a dental implant provides numerous advantages. In addition to looking and operating like a natural tooth, a dental implant replaces a single tooth without sacrificing the health of neighbouring teeth. In case of a bridge however, adjacent teeth need to be ground for support.
Dental implants replace your missing tooth root and essentially act like pillars to support surrounding bone. In case of a bridge, there is no support for the bone where the missing tooth is replaced, which usually results in the bone resorption over time. Bridges may also need to be replaced every 5-7 years with more chances of damaging the supporting teeth
Diagnosis
Our Apple Implant Practitioners, offer comprehensive care, by ensuring a thorough examination of your oral condition, combined with latest in imaging technologies, they can quickly deduce if implant treatment is the right option for you.
Procedure
After ensuring adequate pain control and comfort, Your Apple Dental Implant care providers will proceed with the surgery during which, an implant is placed in your jawbone and the gum stitched over to allow for a water tight seal. If needed, some bone particulate may also be added next to the implant. (this will be conveyed to you at the time of your initial consult). The implant usually takes 3 to 4 months to fully bond, during which time you will not feel any pain or discomfort aside from the first couple of days after surgery, where you may feel some pain, easily controlled by over the counter medication. Your doctor may however, prescribe you medication to help ease possible discomfort in the first few days.
After it has adequately bonded, you will be re-evaluated and a second minor surgical procedure may be needed to place a healing abutment/tissue former, before your final crown is delivered. In some cases, the surgeons are able to place a healing abutment/tissue former at the time of first surgery. Your Apple Dental Implant practitioner will discuss and explain all these options to you.
After a desired contour of tissue is formed, an impression is taken which our state of the art labs and skilled technicians then use to mill/construct your replacement teeth to match your existing teeth, to your satisfaction.
Our team ensures that you are involved in each step of the way and are happy with the outcome of your Dental implant treatment. Our doctors and staff are always available to answer any concerns, before, during and after your procedure is completed.
During the first stage of surgery, your Apple Dental Implant Centre professional will put a dental implant into your jawbone beneath the gum tissue. The gum tissue is then stitched back into location. As the tissue heals, the implant will eventually bond with the bone and connect to the gum. The binding process may take a few months to fully complete.
During the second phase of surgical treatment and as soon as the tissue is healed, your Vancouver Apple dental practitioner will attach an abutment to the implant. An abutment is a post that links the replacement tooth to the implant. Sometimes, the first and second phase of implant surgical treatment might be done in one single visit!
- A synthetic replacement tooth is made by our lab experts and is fused to the abutment. It might take several consultations to correctly fit the replacement tooth to the abutment.
- When changing numerous teeth or all of your teeth, a bridge is anchored to your dental implants. A bridge is a dental remediation that two or more missing teeth by covering a location that has no teeth. The bridge is held securely in place by dental implants on each side of the missing teeth.
- After healing, the abutment is attached to the implant. It will hold a custom-made crown that the dental laboratory will mold and match to your existing teeth.
In the final step, the custom crown is fastened onto the abutment. The tooth has been replaced without disturbing the healthy teeth next to it and bone loss has been eliminated.
Implants can also be used to replace several teeth, eliminating the need to grind down healthy adjacent teeth to serve as posts for traditional Crown & Bridge therapy.
Changing several teeth can be achieved with a numerous single-tooth implant remediation, with implant fixed partial dentures (implant bridges), with a removable partial denture (RPD), or with a conventional set partial denture (FPD).
Example of two dental implants supporting a 3-tooth bridge [click to enlarge]
The implants are placed in the bone below the gum tissue. Like single tooth replacement, temporary abutments may be placed on the implants until the healing phase is complete.
After healing, the abutments are attached to the implants. They will hold a custom-made bridge that the dental laboratory will mould and match to your existing teeth.
In the final step, the custom bridge is cemented onto the abutments. The teeth have been replaced without disturbing the healthy teeth next to them, and bone loss has been halted.
If you are missing most or all of your teeth in an arch (top or bottom), or have teeth that are too damaged to be saved, full mouth implants may be a suitable option. Also known as a fixed implant-supported prosthesis, All-On-4® treatment, or All-On-X Implant these options all involve a permanent bridge containing a full arch of new teeth being attached directly to a small number of anchor implants (often four implant roots as the names suggest).
Other treatments for the loss of natural teeth in an arch are fully detachable dentures. Dental implant-supported fixed bridges permit the replacement of the natural teeth with a fixed (non-removable) re-mediation.
When the standard method of implant installation is used, the shortest full-recovery time-frame is about 5 months in the lower jaw and 7 months in the upper jaw. More recently, however, our team have been positioning an implant and crown in a single visit, making it possible to drastically shorten and expedite the healing process.
At Apple Dental Implant Centres two surgical treatments are generally needed to place and prepare the implant. During the first surgery, the implant is placed in the jaw and covered with gum tissue. The team then waits three to six months for healing, and at the end of the recovery period, a second surgical treatment is performed to expose the implant so that the bridge or denture can be placed. You will be fitted for a custom bridge that screws directly into the implants and the screw holes will be covered after insertion.
Implant-supported bridges and dentures can greatly enhance your oral health. After teeth fall out or are extracted, the underlying bone structure can begin to deteriorate because it is no longer getting stimulation from the tooth’s roots. Dental implants are created to change the natural tooth’s roots and supply this stimulation to the jawbone, thereby avoiding future bone loss and defending against the loosening of surrounding teeth.
Full Mouth Implants & Other Implant Treatments
Whether you need full mouth implants or any other implant treatment that we offer, our staff is here to answer your questions and help you out. Consult with us about your full mouth implants, single implants, and other treatments. Request an appointment today!
