What are dental implants?
Dental implants have become the gold standard in tooth replacement. Dental implant surgery is the best way that we currently have to replace a missing tooth. After an implant is placed by our oral surgeons, your dentist can create a natural looking tooth to be placed on the implant, that can look and function like your own natural teeth. Dr. Leonard Schiffman and Dr. Michael Schiffman are some of the top dental implant surgeons on Long Island and in New York.
Not all Dental Implants are Created Equal
It is important to know that not all dental implant surgeons use the same quality of dental implants! At Schiffman Oral Surgery, we only use the best brand name dental implant systems available on the market for our patient’s dental implant surgery. We always use genuine parts, and never after-market or knockoff components. Currently, we place dental implants made by industry leading companies Nobel Biocare, BioHorizons, and Straumann.
What are dental implants and how do they work?
When patients think of dental implants, they tend to picture a tooth that will replace one of their missing teeth. What many people do not know, is that a dental implant is actually composed of 3 separate parts:
- Titanium screw – This is the actual dental implant that is placed into the jawbone by a surgeon. Over time, our goal is for the titanium implant to fuse with the jawbone. This process is called osseointegration.
- Abutment – This is similar to a post that helps to hold a conventional crown on a tooth. It is a separate metal component that interfaces with the internal aspect of the dental implant and then rises above the gum line.
- Temporary abutments help with soft tissue healing following dental implant placement.
- Permanent abutments allow for connection of the final crown (the fake tooth) to the dental implant screw.
- Crown – This is the tooth component of the implant that is seen when you smile and that restores your ability to chew food. It is attached to the abutment either with a screw or with cement. The crown is made by the restorative dentist.
When does the dental implant get placed?
Depending where you look, you may find *wildly* different answers to this question – and for good reason…it depends!
In certain select cases, an implant can be placed immediately the same day that a tooth is extracted (immediate placement). In other cases, it may be more prudent to extract the tooth, allow the site to heal, and come back several months later to place the implant (delayed placement).
If a patient knows that they will want an implant eventually, but is unable to have one placed immediately, we will usually recommend a bone graft at the time of tooth extraction. This procedure is called socket preservation, and it allows us to preserve the bone that you have remaining at the time of the extraction, to give you the best chance at being able to have an implant placed in the future.
How long after an implant is placed do I have to wait to get a tooth put on it?
The time for an implant to completely fuse with the jaw bone (osseointegrate) varies on a patient-by-patient and case-by-case basis, but once the process is complete, the dental implant should be as sturdy as the original tooth. For the average patient in our practice, from the day the implant is placed we usually wait about 3-4 months for an implant in the lower jaw bone (mandible), and about 4-5 months for an implant in the upper jaw bone (maxilla).