Dental Implant Placement Danville

What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are often thought of as the “gold standard” when it comes to replacing missing teeth. A dental implant refers to a small, screw-shaped post that can be surgically positioned inside a patient’s mouth, directly in their jawbone, where it can then serve as a replacement for a missing tooth’s root. Since the posts are often made from titanium, which is biocompatible, they actually fuse with the bone tissue over time to form a permanent bond.

Our Dental Implant Process

• Initial Dental Implant Consultation – The first step of the process is always a consultation with Dr. Sarcos. With the help of advanced imaging technology, she can thoroughly assess your jawbone’s density, as well as your overall oral health, to ensure that you can benefit from dental implants.
• Dental Implant Surgery –Depending on your tooth loss, anywhere from one to four or more implant posts may be used. To ensure your comfort, multiple sedation options (including IV sedation) are available.
• Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment – Your implants will need time to fuse with your bone tissue. This process, called osseointegration, usually takes a few months and creates the strength and stability implants are known for.
• Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s) – Once your mouth has healed, your implant posts will essentially replace the roots of your missing teeth. From there, a custom-made dental restoration from your dentist can be attached to the top of the posts, fully restoring your teeth.

Benefits of Dental Implants

When you get a dental implant, you aren’t just filling the gap in your smile; you’re unlocking all kinds of unique benefits that traditional restorations cannot match:

• Dental implants stimulate the jawbone, meaning they prevent your jaw from shrinking and deteriorating—a common side effect of tooth loss.
• Dental implants can restore the majority of a patient’s biting power, and the restorations will not slip or slide around when eating.
• With proper dental hygiene, dental implants are capable of lasting for several decades or even a lifetime.

Ridge Augmentation

Ridge augmentation is a type of bone grafting procedure designed to rebuild and restore the natural contour of the jaw, creating a stable foundation for future dental implant placement. A bone grafting material is placed at the deficient site and allowed to integrate with the surrounding bone before the implant is placed. Dr. Sarcos and our team are well-equipped to perform ridge augmentation right here in our Danville office, meaning that if dental implants are in your future, they’ll have the best possible foundation for success.

Bone Grafting

To receive dental implants, a patient’s jawbone must have adequate density to support the posts. Unfortunately, losing teeth often causes the jawbone to shrink and deteriorate, weakening to the point where it can’t support implants. In these situations, Dr. Sarcos and our team can help through a process called bone grafting. Simply put, this procedure involves fortifying a depleted area of the jaw with relocated or donated bone tissue. Once healed, the newly strengthened jaw tissue should be able to facilitate dental implant posts.

Sinus Lifts

When the back upper teeth are lost, the sinus cavity can expand downward into the space where the tooth roots once were, leaving insufficient room for dental implant placement. A sinus lift, also known as a sinus augmentation, addresses this by gently lifting the sinus membrane upward and placing bone grafting material in the space created beneath it. Over time, the grafted bone integrates with the jaw, building the height and density needed to securely anchor an implant.