Dental Implants:

Dental Implants are man-made replacements for natural teeth. Whether you have one missing tooth or no teeth at all, Dental Implants are the standard of care for tooth replacement in most situations. For years, the best solutions for missing teeth were bridges, removable partial or full dentures.

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that goes into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge.

The implants are made from titanium, one of the same metals that hip and other joint replacements are made from. When we talk about Dental Implants we are really talking about two parts, the implant portion that looks like a screw or plate that replaces the root portion of the tooth in the bone and the crown portion that replaces the visible portion of the tooth in your mouth.

Implants can be used effectively if you are missing one tooth or even if you have no teeth at all. Dental Implants are today's solution to missing teeth. Our life expectancy has increased along with our expectations for our oral health. As teeth are lost it becomes more difficult, over time, to eat and chew food. You may be surprised to learn that many denture wearers eat only soft or mashed foods and many avoid many foods altogether. Partial or even full dentures were the solution for a long time, but unfortunately a solution with limitations. For many people they never felt like natural teeth and still limited us in terms of foods, comfort and esthetics. Dental Implants can now even be used to stablize and anchor partial or complete dentures !

Lost or missing teeth not only affect your self-confidence, but also have a dramatic impact on the quality of your life.

Here is another of our patients. This gentleman had a few teeth left and was wearing a poorly fitting partial denture that was loose and embarassing because it would move and fall out whenever he spoke or ate. This man suffered from a loss of confidence both personally and in the company of others.He was wearing an old partial denture that didnt even fit properly anymore. He asked us what we could do to fix his "teeth" in his mouth so he could get back the confidence of his smile and chew ALL FOODS without a loss of function. We suggested implants and a retentive bar to lock down his new "teeth". He says we changed his life but we think the before and after pictures tell the story- take a look:

Implants restore proper chewing function and so you can enjoy foods previously too "difficult" to eat. You feel confident that your replacement teeth won’t move or loosen. You regain the closest thing to the look, feel and function of your natural teeth, and that's a fact.

Dental Implants are clinically proven with a high success rate.
Clearly Dental Implants are one of the finest treatment options dentistry has to offer. With their ability to improve the quality of your life and health it's easy to understand why they have become the accepted alternative to traditional methods of replacing missing teeth.

The typical steps for the processes are:

Arrange an appointment to consult with Dr. Lehri. (Treatment options vary individually depending on bone structure and other conditions.) Together, it will be decided if you are a good candidate for Dental Implants. Dr Lehri will take a complete medical and dental history, x-rays and complete a thorough oral examination. In some cases CT scans, impressions, lab tests or other preliminaries may be required. If you are a suitable candidate for implant surgery, the procedure is as follows

1. Surgical placement of the implant(s) into the bone. This is usually done right in our office, with a local anaesthetic or a combination of local anaesthetic and gas. After surgery, there is a healing period of approximately 3 to 4 months. During this time, the implants fuse to the bone by a process known as ‘osseointegration’.
   
   
   
2. Next, there is a minor surgical exposure of the top of the implant, whereby Dr. Lehri will attach a "post" to the implant. The function of the "post" is to become the support for either one tooth or a set of teeth. This is a short procedure that usually requires only a local anaesthetic.
   
   
   
   
3. The last phase is the restorative phase. The Dr Lehri will take impressions and then make the tooth portion (crown(s)) that will attach to the implants. This will require several visits. Once completed, your mouth will be restored to natural looking fully functional teeth.
   
   
   
   

Heres another of our patients. She has some old metal bridgework done a long time ago that was failing. She didnt want to loose her teeth and asked us to help her. We suggested implants and crowns. She cried with tears of joy when her treatment was complete and tells us she has never been able to chew as well as she does now. Here are the before and after pictures.

Clearly dental implants are one of the finest treatment options dentistry has to offer. With their ability to improve the quality of your life and health it's easy to understand why they have become the accepted alternative to traditional methods of replacing missing teeth.

You may be a candidate for dental implants, but you must commit to the time for the entire implant process to be completed, the standard of home care that is needed to maintain the dental implant and regular dental check-ups. Dental Implants are considered an excellent option for tooth replacement.