Dental Implants
At Chilliwack Family Dentistry, we offer a variety of dental implant options to replace missing teeth and restore your smile. Dental implants are a long-term solution for missing teeth as they are anchored in the jawbone, just like natural teeth roots, providing a stable base for replacement teeth.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are an alternative to dental bridges, are a good way to replace missing teeth, and provide a fixed solution to having removable partial or complete dentures. Implants provide longer-life support and stability for these dental appliances.
The dental implant procedure consists of surgically placing artificial roots and teeth (titanium) into the upper or lower jaw bone by your Chilliwack implant dentist. The teeth attached to implants are natural looking, strong, typically fit very well in your mouth, and can enhance or restore your smile and your bite.
Dental implants are strong, stable, and durable and will last many years. Over time, they may have to be re-tightened or replaced due to normal or excessive wear.
Reasons for Dental Implants:
- To replace missing teeth without affecting adjacent teeth.
- To resolve jaw joint pain or bite problems caused by teeth shifting into the open space created by the missing tooth.
- To restore or improve your smile.
- To aid in effective chewing and digestion.
- To assist with clarity of speech.
- To enhance or restore facial shape that has been affected by the missing tooth or teeth.
- To provide support to a bridge or denture.
Procedure for Dental Implants
This process will take several visits and several months to complete.
- Jaw and teeth x-rays and impressions (molds) are required at the start to assess the space, bone, teeth and gum tissue, and to determine the best solution.
- Provide ‘freezing or numbing’ (or alternative) of the area to be worked on. The implant will be surgically placed into the bone. It will need to heal and integrate into the bone for a period of up to six months.
- Depending on the type of implant, a second surgery may be required to place the “post” that will hold the artificial tooth or implant in place. If not necessary, the post and anchor are attached and placed at the same time.
- After several weeks of healing, the artificial teeth are made and fitted to the post portion of the anchor. It is likely that several fittings are required because adjustments over time will be necessary. This may take one to two months to complete.
- After healing, the artificial tooth or teeth are securely attached to the implant, providing you with both stability and comfort.
We provide detailed future care instructions. Good oral hygiene is necessary for the life of your new dental implant. Regular dental visits to your Chilliwack Dentist will ensure that your dental implant is also assessed during your visit.