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- Are You A Candidate For Implants
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Why Choose Us For Your Dental Implants?
Dr. Craddock and Dr. Godat have been providing dental implant placement and restorations for decades, making Periodontal Associates of Memphis a premier destination for patients seeking excellence in smile creation and full mouth rehabilitation.
Why Are Dental Implants The Best Choice?
When tooth loss occurs, whether it is due to decay, trauma, or – the most likely cause – periodontal disease, the entire arch of teeth is compromised. Without the stimulation of the tooth root, the bone beneath the empty socket begins to dissolve, and adjacent teeth begin to loosen. Over time, a cascade effect takes place, with tooth after tooth falling out until the patient is completely edentulous (toothless) in one or both arches.
Dental implants placed by a qualified Memphis periodontist, like Dr. Craddock and Dr. Godat, are your optimum choice. Dental implants that are covered with a restoration can restore the arch of teeth, provide support for remaining original teeth, and stimulate new bone growth for a more stable mouth structure. For edentulous patients, dental implants can support a full arch of dentures, providing a brilliant smile and allowing normal chewing and speech to resume.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants consist of small, strong titanium screws, which are implanted into the jaw of the bone. A post, or abutment extends up through the gum. Once the jawbone has grown solidly around and into the screw base, a restoration is placed on the abutment to replicate the original tooth or teeth it is replacing.
What Are The Benefits of Dental Implants?
With dental implants, you can experience full functionality and aesthetics again, able to speak, eat, and smile without hindrance.
The titanium used for dental implants is biocompatible, meaning that the underlying bone treats it in the same manner as the root of an original tooth. The implant stimulates the bone, preventing bone loss under the site of the lost tooth or teeth. The restoration completes the natural arch, supporting remaining teeth and providing a natural bite.
Dental implants can also be used to support partial or full dentures, providing a restored smile for patients who have lost multiple teeth or entire arches in the upper or lower jaw. With dental implants, full functionality and aesthetics can be restored; the patient is able to speak, eat, and smile without hindrance.
Am I a Candidate for Dental Implants?
You may be a candidate for dental implants if you are missing one or more teeth, have sufficient bone structure to support an implant or implants, and don’t have active, advanced periodontal disease.
If you do have periodontal disease or bone loss, one of our Memphis periodontists, Dr. Craddock and Dr. Godat, can provide treatment to restore the health of your mouth and provide sufficient bone for implantation. In some cases, tooth extraction may be required to allow dental implants to be placed and full functionality restored.
What Type of Dental Implant Procedure Is Right For Me?
A consultation at Periodontal Associates of Memphis can help determine which dental implant procedure is appropriate for your needs. We provide a wide range of dental implant solutions.
- Individual dental implants are often used when a single tooth has been lost to decay or trauma. In most cases, if the implant is done soon after the loss of the tooth, additional procedures are not required.
- Dental implant placement is normally a two step process, with time allowed for integration of the implant into the jawbone before the final restoration is placed.
- Denture supported implants allow entire upper or lower arches of teeth to be replaced with natural looking dentures which are supported in several places by dental implants.
- Teeth-in-a-day options allow implants to be placed and temporary restorations added on the same day, sending the patient home with functioning teeth that can be used during the healing process and replaced later with permanent restorations.
Why Should a Periodontist be Chosen to Place Dental Implants?
While classes, courses, and certifications exist that allow almost any dentist to become “qualified” to place dental implants, the advantages of having an experienced Memphis periodontist complete your implant placement are many.
A periodontist who specializes in dental implant placement has much more history with the process, having placed hundreds or even thousands of implants during their career. A periodontal specialist is also able to pre-emptively address any gum and bone issues that could cause implant failure, increasing the likelihood of implant success.
Contact us today for a consultation and find out if dental implants are right for you.
How Can Dental Implants Help Me?
Dental Implants can help fix several problems in the mouth and jaw. Some patients require dental implants to replace missing teeth that fell out or never grew in to begin with. Others consider dental implants because they are experiencing tooth decay and are in need of an invasive procedure to remove the infected teeth and have them properly replaced. There are others that are interested in dental implants as an alternative to braces, retainers and other procedures to improve their smiles and oral functions.
Dental Implants are a valid solution for medical and cosmetic reasons. Often times children will have braces installed to fix a crooked bite and/or smile. This process takes lots of time and lots of money. However, it is beneficial for braces to be used at a young age because the child has their natural healthy teeth and are prone to faster adjustments and changes in their bodies. However, it can sometimes be embarrassing or uncomfortable to receive braces in the later life of adulthood. Dental implants can be used to quickly change the shape of your smile and bite pattern. The process for dental implants is a much shorter process than braces or retainers, and can be more cost effective in the long run.
Who Should Place Your Dental Implants?
An experience and qualified dental surgeon should place your dental implants. Many dentists may advertise and place implants and have little or no training. Most dentists placing implants have taken minimal training with a few weekend courses. Some of these dentists set themselves out to be specialists in dental implants when in fact they have not completed adequate surgical training. For more information, please see this “Myths and Misconceptions” guide on misconceptions on who should place dental implants from the Institute for Dental Implant Awareness
Drs. Craddock and Godat exceed these requirements with their 3 year residencies in periodontics and dental implants as well as having placed over 23,000 dental implants.
The American Dental Association recognizes Periodontists and Oral Surgeons as the only Dental Surgical Specialists. Dental implants have evolved out of these recognized specialties, so technically there are no dental implant specialists. Standards for implant placement have been sent by the Institute for Dental Implant Awareness.
Click Here for a List of Questions to Ask The Person Placing Your Dental Implants
Have you been told you don’t have enough bone for dental implants?
Ridge socket preservation
When you experience tooth loss, the jawbone begins to loss bone mass as well. This condition can lead to the jaw losing strength and structural integrity. Dental Implants are often recommended for replacing lost or missing teeth, however, it can not be completed properly without healthy bone tissue to keep it in place. If bone loss is severe enough there are procedures that can rebuild and strengthen the missing bone tissue.
Ridge Socket Preservation, also known as Extraction Socket Repair, is a process that creates a solid foundation in addition to the jaw bone to better support the implant. The preservation process is also commonly referred to as a bone graft. The graft is combined with the existing bone tissue to help stabilize bone loss, and to help regrow the existing bone.
