Dental Implants
Barrie, Ontario - Canada
If you have lost any teeth and still have a gap in your smile, dental implants are a highly effective and permanent way to fill it. Implants are artificial tooth roots, positioned in the jawbone to fill the second and invisible gap left by the lost tooth root. Implants can anchor a new tooth to complete your smile.
Dental Implants vs. Dental Bridges
Traditionally, people have had dental bridges to replace missing teeth, and these can do an excellent job over many years. By filling the tooth gap, they keep neighboring teeth in proper positions. If the gap is left for long enough, those teeth would drift out of alignment and move into the space. That can throw your bite out of alignment and give rise to the painful condition known as Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ or TMD). As a qualified neuromuscular dentist, Dr. Chapnick can diagnose and treat that condition, but you would surely rather not have it develop in the first place.
Dental bridges fill the tooth gap but they leave the gap in the jawbone where the tooth root used to be. That allows for gradual bone resorption (shrinkage), and a little indented area will eventually form under the tooth gap.
How Dental Implants Work
The implant itself is made of a biocompatible titanium alloy. After it is placed in the bone, the bone tissue grows in closely around it. There are screw-like grooves running around it that allow a strong and permanent connection with the jawbone, making the implant a sturdy anchor for your new tooth.
Implants can actually hold more than one tooth. One implant could anchor two adjacent teeth; four can hold an entire arch of teeth; and eight can anchor a mouthful of new teeth. Implants can also hold bridges.
Two or three months of time elapse while the bone heals around the implant. Then Dr. Chapnick attaches the porcelain or acrylic tooth, and now both gaps are properly filled. Your tooth alignment will not deteriorate, your jawbone will stay intact, and your smile will be improved by the new porcelain tooth. Please see Questions About Implant Dentistry and What to Expect From Dental Implants for more information.
If you practice good daily dental hygiene and come for regular check-ups and professional cleaning, your implant-anchored porcelain tooth should serve you indefinitely.
Dr. Chapnick is skilled and experienced at dental implants and is known as the dentist to go to for this service. He will give you a complete evaluation of your dental health and will let you know if he finds any gum disease. It is important to treat that as early as possible, before the bacteria enter the bloodstream and cause problems elsewhere in the body.
As a neuromuscular dentist, he will be looking at your bite when he does a dental implant, and if he finds any jaw or tooth misalignment he will discuss treatment options with you.
If you would like to know more about dental implants, please call or email our office today. We will arrange a personal consultation for you with Dr. Chapnick. He offers dental implants at our office in Barrie and we look forward to meeting you soon.
