Dental Implants
Dental Implants in Lancaster County
For a more natural, hassle-free smile, get dental implants in Lancaster County from Atglen Family Dentistry.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants fill the gap left by one or more missing teeth, up to and including a full set of replacement teeth for the upper and lower jaws.
In the dental implant procedure, the dentist drills a screw called the fixture into the jaw, and a small metal connector called the abutment attaches to the fixture. The outermost part of the implant, the prosthetic, resembles a natural tooth and fills in for the missing tooth for biting, chewing, and completing your smile.
Implants have many advantages. Compared to dentures, dental implants more closely match the feel and function of natural teeth. Implants are made of durable materials such as titanium or zirconia. If properly maintained, a dental implant should last decades, and sometimes, a lifetime.
Should I Get Dental Implants?
It is impossible to speak for any patient about the decision to get dentures, implants, or other dental appliances. Each person’s decision should be their own, made after consulting with a qualified dental professional. However, you might be a good candidate for implants if you:
- are willing to pay more for the best dental care
- are missing one or more teeth
- have good bone density and no health problems affecting bone tissue in the jaw
- are tired of ill-fitting dentures and the inconvenience of denture pastes and adhesives
To learn more about how dental implants affect your dental health, talk to a dentist with experience in dental implant surgery. If you are a good candidate for dental implants in Lancaster County, Atglen Family Dentistry can help you make an informed decision.
The Dental Implant Procedure
The first thing that will happen for any dental procedure is a consultation with the dentist to discuss your options. The dentist might take x-rays to get a clearer picture of your bone structure, the three-dimensional shape of your mouth, and the structure of the site of the missing teeth.
The dentist will decide whether to recommend bone grafts to improve implant stability, discuss the need for nitrous sedation, IV sedation, or general anesthetic. The dentist will then schedule appointments to take impressions of your mouth and install the dental implants.
During the dental implant procedure, the dentist will make an incision into your gum to expose the jaw and drill into it, then attach the fixture. The dentist might add bone material to shore up the jaw at this time. The dentist will take another impression of the implant as a guide for creating the dental prosthetic, which is created in the lab to fit the gap left by your missing tooth precisely.
After the fixture is implanted during surgery, you will likely experience some pain, swelling, and bruising at the site of the implant. The recovery time for dental implant surgery can be several months. Once the area has healed, the dentist can attach the prosthetic in a second phase of the procedure.
Comparing Dental Implants and Dentures
Many Atglen Family Dentistry patients choose between dentures and implants. Dentures are the more economical choice in terms of upfront costs since denture plates cost one or two thousand dollars. The process for creating dentures does not involve surgery unless the dentist has to extract teeth.
Dentures do not last as long as implants, and they require the additional time and expense of applying adhesive to keep them in place. Many patients find talking, chewing, and other activities to be more difficult with dentures than with implants.
Patients who have all their teeth extracted on the upper or lower jaw, or both, could consider implant-supported dentures. They use screws to anchor the entire dental prosthesis (the arch replacing an entire row of teeth) in place. The prosthetic typically snaps off for convenient cleaning while the fixtures remain anchored to the jaw.
Atglen Family Dentistry Is Your Top Choice for Dental Implants
Atglen Family Dentistry is a trusted source of dental implants in Lancaster, PA. We will do everything we can to make your dental implant procedure as painless and stress-free as possible.
Atglen Family Dentistry is a woman-owned practice, and Dr. Onyinye C. Myers and her team strive to exceed the dental health needs of every patient. To speak with us about any remaining questions or schedule an appointment to discuss your dental care options, call us at 610-593-2818.