Dental Implants

What are Dental Implants?

Usually, dental implants have three components:

• Implant screw
• Abutment
• Final restoration, such as a single implant crown

Multiple implants can support fixed bridges or removable implant dentures, including immediate implant placement for treatments like All-on-Four^TM.

Dental implants are designed to restore teeth artificially, as the small post or screw is inserted surgically into the jawbone, where it closely replicates a real tooth root.

The implant screw is specially treated to encourage integration with the jawbone surrounding it. Over several months, new bone cells grow on and around the implant, gradually fusing it in place during a process called osseointegration. It typically takes between three and six months for osseointegration to occur fully.

When osseointegration is complete, the second implant component, the abutment, is attached to the implant screw. The abutment protrudes above the gum line, providing strong, stable support for the implant restoration.

What Are the Advantages of Teeth Replacement?

Replacing your teeth with dental implants has many advantages, including:

• Providing teeth that look and feel as if they have always been your own and are fully functional.
• Implant teeth are carefully designed to be aesthetically pleasing, restoring your smile and giving excellent support to your facial muscles in your cheeks and lips, preserving and protecting your facial structure.
• They are strong enough to enable you to eat virtually anything you please, restoring your biting and chewing strength.
• Dental implant treatment is a long-term solution for tooth loss, and with the correct care, you should enjoy the benefits for many years, or for life.
• With the proper planning, placement, and after-care, dental implants have a success rate of 95% or higher.

Before

After

When to Consider Teeth Implants Treatment?

Tooth implants could be the right solution for you if you:

• Have one or more missing teeth or teeth that are failing and will need removing soon.
• Your jawbone has finished growing and developing, as dental implants are suitable for people over 18.
• You don’t wish to wear dentures.
• You are willing to commit to looking after your dental implants as they must be kept clean to prevent infection in the surrounding bone and gum.
• You have enough strong and healthy jawbone to secure the implants or can have a bone graft.
• Your oral health is generally good.
• You don’t have any underlying health conditions that could affect implant healing.
• You are a non-smoker as smoking can significantly affect implant healing. If you do smoke, we thoroughly recommend quitting at least for the duration of treatment and preferably for good.

Are There Any Risks in Having Teeth Implants?

The procedure requires a short surgery and carries a small level of risk.

The risks of having implant surgery can include:

• Infected implants
• Damage to blood vessels or teeth, or other nearby structures
• Damage to nerves which may cause temporary or permanent numbness in the gums, lips, or chin
• If the dental implants are placed too close to the sinus cavities in the upper jaw, this can cause problems

There is no need to be concerned. We take extensive precautions to minimize these risks by carefully screening patients before recommending this treatment and ensuring we use top-quality implant components that provide reliable results.

Dr. Shoukry collaborates closely with an experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeon to ensure the implants are planned and placed accurately using advanced diagnostic imaging and computer-guided surgery.

How Much Do Dental Implants Cost?

For most people, treatment costs are a huge factor in determining whether they will proceed with this option. Several affordable dental implant solutions are available, especially for people suffering complete tooth loss.

It’s also worth remembering that dental implant treatment is a long-term solution, so while you might pay a little more upfront, it will be more cost-effective over time. This is especially true when replacing single teeth with a single implant and crown.

The alternative to dental implants treatment would be a three-tooth or three-unit bridge spanning the missing tooth and the teeth adjacent to the gap. These teeth are crowned and used to support the replacement tooth. Eventually, it will be necessary to replace the bridge, and the cost of a three-tooth bridge is significantly more than a single implant crown.

You may also see many places offering low-cost dental implants at a price that seems almost too good to be true. These may not reflect the true cost of the treatment, as it’s usually impossible to provide a proper quotation until a dentist has evaluated your dental health. It’s also worth being cautious as cheap dental implants can be a false economy, using lower quality generic implant components and materials that may not provide such good results.

At our center, we prefer to use high-quality implant components and the latest restorative materials, believing our patients deserve the best. These materials result in teeth that are highly aesthetic and fully functional, restoring your ability to bite and chew food with teeth that look beautiful and feel natural.

Patient Experience

Planning Dental Implant Surgery

If you are interested in discovering more about implant surgery, schedule an initial consultation with us at South Nassau Dental Arts.

Initial Visit

We will want to examine your mouth during this initial visit and review your medical history.

Gaining a clear overview of your dental and medical health during the comprehensive dental exam allows us to determine if dental implants are the right choice for you and will provide the desired results. We will only suggest dental implants if we feel they have an extremely good chance of success. Otherwise, we can discuss alternative teeth replacement options.

Diagnostic Tests

If you decide to investigate implant treatment further, we will ask that you have some diagnostic tests, including:

• Digital dental x-rays
• Cone beam CT scan

Implant Surgery

The actual surgery to place implants is quite quick, and we will make sure you cannot feel a thing during this treatment.

Typically it takes an hour or less to place a single dental implant, while multiple implants or full mouth dental implants will take longer. Because our oral surgeon has planned your implant treatment, the surgery should be smooth and comfortable. If you feel nervous or anxious, please ask us about additional sedation.

Dr. Adam Shoukry, DDS, is a cosmetic dentist who strives to provide each of his patients with personalized care and educate them on the state of their dental health so that they can make informed decisions. Dr. Shoukry really enjoys his work and is committed to continued education, having attended several accredited courses in every aspect of dentistry.

Dr. Shoukry graduated from NYU College of Dentistry with a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree and then completed his general practice residency at Nassau University Medical Center. Being a member of the American Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, Dr. Shoukry strives to provide comprehensive dental examinations, a full range of cosmetic treatments, and the best restorative oral health care available.

More about Dr. Shoukry