If you’ve lost one or more teeth due to injury, defects, disease, or decay, there is hope for you! If you have missing teeth, you understand the discomfort of the simple things we take for granted every day, like eating and smiling. Dental implants are changing the way people live. They are designed to provide a foundation for replacement teeth that look, feel, and function just like natural teeth. Dental implants also help preserve facial structure and help prevent further bone loss when placed in the areas of missing teeth. They will give you the ability to eat your favorite foods and restore your confident smile.
Dental implants themselves are tiny titanium screws surgically placed into the jawbone where teeth are missing. These metal anchors act as tooth root substitutes. Your jawbone grows up to the implant and bonds with the titanium, creating a strong foundation for artificial teeth.
To provide a minimally invasive and simplified surgical solution to missing teeth, guided surgery may reduce the need for bone grafting procedures, and has shown to reduce treatment time and reduce post-surgical discomfort for patients. The guided surgery technique includes 3-D imaging with cone beam technology, computer generated planning software, and fabrication of a custom fitted surgical to make implant placement a moreefficient and less invasive solution.
Guided Surgery
Using cone beam CT scans and special computer software, computer modeling is used to identify the best position for implant placement away from important structures like nerves. The cone beam CT scan provides a low dose image of the jaws in 3-D to ensure that there is enough bone for implant placement. When there is not enough bone, bone enhancement procedures help create enough healthy bone to support an implant, like a sinus lift or other ridge augmentation methods. A digital impression is taken of the mouth and meshed with the CT scan using specialized computer software.
The computer software helps with planning the case, allows the patient to see exactly where their implant will be placed within two tenths of a millimeter, and assists in fabricating the surgical guide, which maximizes precision for implant placement. Of course, this level of precision is important for the patient, and more importantly it reduces or eliminates the need for stitches and substantially reduces or eliminates patient discomfort after surgery. Many patients receiving guided surgery claim they did not need prescribed pain medication.
Teeth-in-a-Day
Imagine visiting your dentist with missing teeth, and leaving the same day with a set of beautiful, new teeth. With All-on-4 dental implants, you can have a new set of permanent teeth in just one day. This new approach is for you if you have lost, or are in the process of losing, all of your teeth. With the All-on-4 same-day solution combined with the guided surgery approach, you may have an interim set of implant-supported teeth.
Who should consider All-on-4 Dental Implants?
- People with several failing or missing teeth
- People who are in need of multiple dental implants
- People who wear dentures
The Benefits of an All-on-4 dental implant procedure are:
- Beautiful teeth supported by dental implants.
- Comfort and stability so you can eat what you want.
- A full arch of teeth in just one day.
- No more pain, no more dental work.
- The look and feel of natural teeth.
- No more bone loss.
- Most patients state that they look and feel years younger
With the All-on-4 dental implants procedure, once your dental records are collected, a comprehensive treatment plan will be devel- oped. These records include a 3-D CT scan, jaw relation records, digital impressions, and photos. Following this consultation, your implant surgery and restorative visit will be scheduled and your implants will be placed with an immediate tooth replacement while you are comfortably under in-office sedation.
For more information about these and other periodontal and den- tal procedures, visit www.docperio.com, or you may contact Dr. Kirk Noraian at his Bloomington office at 309-663-4577, located at 105 N. Williamsburg Drive, or at his Urbana office at 217-367-6149 located at 2020 S. Philo Road. Dr. Kirk Noraian is a periodontist who provides state-of-the-art treatment for people interested in optimal gum health, dental implant placement and a confident, worry-free smile.