Dental Implants Bellaire
The Superior Choice for Tooth Replacement
According to the American College of Prosthodontics, an estimated 36 million Americans are living without any natural teeth. While traditional dentures and dental bridges continue to deliver improved oral health and aesthetic results, dental implants are continuing to grow in popularity with more than 500,000 being placed each year in the United States. The team at Stacy Hebert-Schoener, DDS is pleased to provide dental implants in Bellaire to patients suffering from tooth loss and partners with local implant dentists in the area to deliver the highest level of quality care. Call us to schedule a dental implant consultation with Dr. Stacy today.
Why Choose Stacy Hebert-Schoener, DDS for Dental Implants?
- We Partner with Local Implant Dentists in the Area
- Custom-Made, High-Quality Dental Restorations
- We Help Maximize Dental Insurance Benefits
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are small, titanium posts positioned within the jawbone to create a durable foundation for a customized dental crown, bridge, or denture. Mimicking the function of natural tooth roots, they deliver continuous stimulation to the bone, reducing the chances of resorption in the future. The durability and longevity provided by dental implants set them apart from other similar tooth replacement options, as they are capable of lasting 30 years or more.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
Placing dental implants requires multiple appointments over several months, which makes it a significantly longer process than receiving traditional dentures or bridges. While this may seem like a large investment of time, these devices offer a variety of impressive benefits that make them well-worth the effort. Dr. Stacy Hebert-Schoener partners with the best implantologists in the Bellaire area to ensure that her patients receive the finest oral surgical care possible as well as beautiful and functional restorations. While each patient’s placement process is unique, they all follow four primary steps: consultation, surgery, osseointegration, and placement of the final restoration.
Initial Dental Implant Consultation
During your consultation, Dr. Hebert-Schoener will evaluate your oral health and review your medical history and list of medications to make sure you’re a good candidate for dental implants. If you don’t qualify for implants then, we may be able to help you become an excellent candidate later by performing gum disease treatments or referring you to a specialist for bone grafts. Once you are approved for implants, we can begin planning your customized treatment plan.
Dental Implant Surgery
Dr. Hebert-Schoener will be happy to refer you to a local oral surgery specialist who will place your implant with skill and great care. The procedure will always begin with the patient receiving an appropriate anesthetic to ensure their comfort. Then, the oral surgeon will make a small incision in the gums and place a post made from titanium or zirconia in the jawbone. Once this is complete, the surgeon will close the gums around the new implant and place a cap on it for protection.
Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment
Osseointegration is the natural process by which titanium fuses with living bone tissue, and it allows dental implants to form the strong foundation they need to exert maximum chewing power and last for decades with excellent care. After your implant is placed, it will need several months to adequately bond with your jaw. Once this is complete, you’ll return to your oral surgeon to have an abutment piece placed on top of the post. After healing for several weeks, we’ll be ready to begin the process of crafting your final restoration.
Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)
Dental implants support lifelike restorations such as crowns, dentures, and dental bridges, and we will have your device specially crafted by a skilled technician at a trusted laboratory. When your restoration is ready, you’ll come back to our office so we can secure it in place and make any final adjustments. Then, you’ll be ready to show off your gorgeous new smile.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Many experts in Bellaire consider dental implants the ideal way to rebuild smiles after tooth loss because of their placement in your jawbone. This gives them added strength and stability, which provides unique advantages over alternative replacement teeth, like dentures or dental bridges.
Continue reading to learn more about the many benefits of getting dental implants, and please don’t hesitate to contact us for additional information.
Day-to-Day Benefits
Tooth loss can detract from your daily quality of life in several ways. Not only might you feel self-conscious about the changes in your appearance, but you might also struggle to chew food or form words clearly.
Fortunately, dental implants help by:
- Improving your looks. Closing the gaps in your grin can help you look and feel like the most attractive version of yourself, boosting your confidence.
- Enhancing enunciation. Replacing missing teeth allows you to press your tongue against your arches so you’re more easily understood when you speak.
- Returning bite force. This treatment can potentially restore up to 80% or 90% or your initial biting power so you can eat a wholesome diet containing nutritious foods to support your oral and overall well-being.
Health Benefits
There are other, less immediately noticeable advantages to choosing implants over the alternatives, too, such as:
- Better oral health. These restorations are easier to clean than the alternatives; it’s easier to brush and floss them, reducing the likelihood of developing cavities or gum disease.
- Support your jawbone. Typically, your jaw starts thinning after tooth loss without a root to stimulate additional bone growth with each bite down. Dental implants are the only replacements that are surgically inserted to fulfill this function.
- Preserve your facial structure. As your jaw thins, your cheeks can start to look sunken, and you can develop additional facial wrinkles, which can be avoided with dental implants.
Long-Term Benefits
These replacement teeth tend to be more resilient, and therefore last longer, than bridges and dentures, so you can enjoy the following long-term benefits:
- Reliable results. The procedure has an incredibly high success rate of more than 90%, meaning you’re unlikely to develop issues if you follow the provided post-op instructions carefully.
- Resilient materials. The titanium rod of your implant fuses with your jaw to become a permanent part of your mouth, and the ceramic restoration capping it is coated with a glaze durable enough to resist chips and stains.
- Save on additional expenditures. This treatment tends to cost more initially but can potentially save money in the long run because there’s no need to invest in accessories, like adhesives or special cleaning solutions. Plus, they’re less likely to be harmed, reducing the likelihood of requiring costly repairs.