As you go through life, there’s a good chance that for any number of reasons you could lose one or more of your teeth. Poor dental hygiene, an accident that injures your mouth or your jaw, or just normal decay or gum disease are all possible reasons why you may suffer the loss of one or more of your teeth.

What You Should Know About Dental Implants

Dr. Ting and the team at Think Oral Implants and Periodontics can provide a safe and long lasting solution in the form of a dental implant. A dental implant is an artificial tooth such as a crown or a bridge that is placed into your jaw and secured into place by implanting a titanium screw into your jaw. After your old tooth is removed and the site is allowed to heal (generally 2-4 months), the anchor screw is placed into a hole that has been drilled into the jaw. The new bone is allowed to grow around and fuse with the anchor for a few months before the final crown or bridge is put into place.

A Durable Solution

In the vast majority of cases, dental implants can last a lifetime. That not only makes them an attractive proposition in terms of dealing with a dental problem only one time, but it can also make sense financially. Although implants are initially more expensive than bridgework, when amortized over the course of a patient’s life, they are a viable cost effective possibility.

Implants also promote better dental health because unlike bridges, they do not disturb a patient’s surrounding teeth. In fact, there is virtually no difference between the implant and a patient’s natural teeth.

Dental Implant Success Rates

Dental implants have been used for more than 50 years. As advancements have taken place, success rates for implants are now in excess of 98%. Some people may experience implant failures due to infections, or in a few rare cases, a negative or allergic reaction to the titanium screw. In cases such as these, Dr. Ting will remove the implant, allow the area to heal and then replace the implant if the patient so desires.
Think Oral Implants and Periodontics serves patients in Paoli, Malvern, Berwyn and surrounding Pennsylvania communities.