Dental Implants

Buffalo Family Dentist Performing Dental Implants

In the following educational dental video, experienced Buffalo family dentist Douglas Hamill DDS discusses the advantages of dental implants for damaged teeth.

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An implant is a prosthesis, an artificial appliance, that is used to replace missing teeth. The advantages of implants include their duration and their lack of impact on other teeth. Implants can last a long time—for years or even decades. They can also replace teeth without affecting the teeth around them. Implants are composed of three parts: the part that is affixed to the bone, a post, and a crown.

If there is a space between two teeth, especially where another tooth has fallen out, and the teeth are starting to shift, the best solution is often a dental implant. The rejection rate of dental implants is quite small; only one to two percent of patients exhibit the signs of rejection. Our office has installed hundreds of implants, and only one of our patients has ever rejected an implant. For that patient, once we replaced the implant with a similar one of a different material, the rejection ceased. Age should not play a role in determining eligibility for an implant; we worked with one patient over the age of 90, and each of the several implants that we installed were successful.

Are dental implants noticeable?

In most cases, dental implants blend in perfectly with the surrounding teeth. They look so natural that the only way to ascertain which of an individual’s teeth was an implant would be by taking an X-ray. Installing a dental implant is essentially painless; our office administers a local anesthetic, and once the area has become numb, we place the implant in the space between the teeth. The site is usually sore for a few days after the operation, but our patients rarely report any ache or pain after that time.

How does the dental implant procedure work?

Our office enlists the top oral surgeons in the Buffalo area to place the implants, and then I place the post and crown on the base of the implants. The bottom part of an implant must be screwed into the mandible or the maxilla, which are the bones of the jaw and the roof of the mouth. This process may sound unpleasant and painful, but it is necessary in order to allow the implant to remain permanently in place. We use an anesthetic to numb our patients, so there is no pain that occurs during the operation. The surgeon is the most experienced at placing the implant, and the material used at the implant’s base will easily and directly bond to the bone.

Once the dental implant is placed, there is a period of roughly three months during which the implant integrates into the maxilla or the mandible. Then, we are able to perform the restorative part of the procedure, which involves the installation of the false tooth.

What habits should I avoid after I have had a dental implant installed?

The main habit to cut out is smoking, which can affect the way by which the implant will adjust to the body. You must try to cut down on or quit smoking. Smokeless tobacco is considered less harmful than regular tobacco, but it can still affect the quality and stability of your dental implant.

How much do dental implants cost?

The biggest challenge with dental implants is the expense. Implants are often more expensive than a simple bridge is. Our office offers our patients payment plans, which can be adjusted based on financial need. More and more insurances are starting to cover dental implants, and we expect the cost of implants to decrease in the coming years.

Do you need dental implants? Contact Buffalo family dentist Douglas Hamill DDS to schedule a consultation. He has over 25 years of experience in restorative dentistry and prides himself on providing affordable dental care in a professional environment utilizing the latest in dental technology.

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