Dental Implants – Colorado Springs
Replace Missing Teeth and Rediscover Your Smile’s Potential
Replacing missing teeth is important for your oral health, your overall health, and your appearance. While modern dentistry offers several ways to fill in the gaps and restore suffering smiles, many professionals agree that dental implants are the best method for replacing missing teeth. Dr. Erick T. Anderson is a skilled, experienced implant dentist who would be happy to help you discover whether this remarkable treatment is right for you.
Why Choose Anderson Family Dental by Espire for Dental Implants?
- Entire procedure performed under one roof
- Specialty training at the Misch Implant Institute
- 95% success rate—able to last for 30 years or more
The 4 Step Dental Implant Process
At Anderson Family Dental by Espire, we’re able to offer our patients something rather unique for this area: all-inclusive implant care. Instead of referring you to other offices for the different parts of the procedure, our team has the specialty training to handle the entire process in-house. This approach will allow us to pass savings onto you in both time and money, helping you rebuild your smile in the most affordable and efficient way possible.
Would you like to learn more about the dental implant process? Continue reading below.
Initial Dental Implant Consultation
During your initial consultation, you can expect a few things to happen:
- We will examine your mouth and take some images of your jawbone to determine if you are currently a candidate for dental implants. (If you are not a candidate, we may recommend preliminary treatments that will help you qualify for implants. For example, you might need a bone graft or gum disease treatment.)
- We will learn a bit about your goals, budget, and habits.
- We will answer your questions and start designing your personalized tooth replacement treatment plan.
Dental Implant Surgery
Because our team performs the dental implant surgery in-house, you can avoid the stress and inconvenience that come with visiting an outside specialist.
The surgery itself is pretty straightforward. First, we will numb your mouth in order to make sure your experience is as comfortable as possible. Then, we will make some incisions in your gums and insert your implants into your jawbone at their pre-planned positions. We will finish by closing the incisions. After the procedure is complete, we will send you home with detailed aftercare instructions. Most patients are feeling well enough to return to work within a few days of their procedure.
Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment Placement
Once your implants are in place, a biological process known as osseointegration will begin. Essentially, your jawbone will fuse with your implants and allow them to act as strong, sturdy prosthetic tooth roots. Osseointegration takes place over the course of a few months.
After adequate osseointegration has occurred, we may need to perform a second minor surgery. We will expose the tops of your implants and place healing caps on them. Thereafter, we can attach abutments (small connector pieces that will keep your new teeth in place). Some patients receive abutments at the same time as their initial surgery, so a second procedure is not always necessary.
Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations
To design the crown, bridge, or denture that will get attached to your implants, we will use a sophisticated digital scanning system to create an impression of your mouth. The impression will be sent to a trustworthy laboratory, which will then create your beautiful new teeth.
Once your restoration is ready, we will verify that it meets our high quality standards before we attach it to your implants. Once your new teeth are in place, you might experience a bit of tenderness in your gums, but you will not have to worry about a lengthy recovery period. You can start using your restored smile right away!
Benefits of Dental Implants
Here are some of the most outstanding benefits that dental implants offer:
- Dental implants replace both the crown and the root of missing teeth. This makes them extremely sturdy, and the special bond that they form with the jaw helps to prevent bone loss and preserve the natural shape of your face.
- Implants have the potential to last a lifetime if you care for them well and attend regular checkups with your dentist.
- The success rate of dental implants is over 95%!
- Thanks to advances in modern dentistry, more people than ever before are candidates for dental implants.
- In many ways, implants function similarly to natural teeth. They enable their users to eat almost anything, and caring for them is neither complex nor overly time-consuming.
- Implant restorations are custom-crafted for you. They blend in seamlessly with the teeth around them and provide you with a beautiful, natural-looking smile.
- Implants can protect your remaining natural teeth by stopping them from drifting out of place.
Who Dental Implants Can Help
Whether you are missing one tooth, several teeth, or an entire arch of teeth, dental implants may be able to restore your lost smile. When you visit our team for a consultation, we will examine your mouth and learn about your goals for treatment so we can start planning the details of your treatment journey. Even if you are not a candidate for dental implants right away, you may become one after some preliminary procedures.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?
You may be a good candidate for dental implants if:
- You are in fair overall health. You should be well enough to undergo minor surgery.
- Your oral health is sound. You should be free of active gum disease and other oral conditions that could adversely affect your implants.
- Your jawbone is healthy and strong. You should have adequate bone density to support your prosthetic tooth roots.
If you are unsure of whether you are qualified for dental implants, visit us for a consultation. Most adults with missing teeth do qualify for this treatment, either immediately or after preparatory procedures.
Missing One Tooth
If you are missing just one tooth, our team will place a single dental implant in your jaw. Later, after a recovery period, we will restore the implant with a single crown. This is a fairly straightforward procedure that is superior to a traditional fixed bridge in multiple ways. For example, an implant does not usually require that the adjacent teeth be filed down, so you can keep as much healthy dentition as possible. Plus, since implants rebuild lost teeth from the roots up, you can expect optimum stability, function, and aesthetics.
Missing Multiple Teeth
If you have two adjacent missing teeth, we may be able to place a single dental implant. It will get a crown on top of it, and the crown will support a pontic (artificial tooth) to finish filling in the empty space.
If you have three or more adjacent missing teeth, you may need two dental implants — one at each end of the empty space. They can support a bridge that fills in the gap and improves your oral function.
If your missing teeth are not adjacent to one another, we might place multiple single implants or suggest that you receive an implant-supported partial denture.
Missing All Teeth
If you are completely edentulous (missing all teeth) in either your upper or lower arch (or both), we can provide implant dentures. There are a few different types of implant dentures. For example, you may qualify for a permanent prosthetic that is only removed when you visit us for checkups and cleanings. Alternatively, you might choose a removable denture that you can take out of your mouth every day. The best type of prosthetic for you will depend on your jawbone density, budget, and personal preferences. Our team can help you navigate your treatment choices and settle on the most suitable option.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
The cost of dental implants varies from patient to patient. The price of your treatment will depend on how many implants you need, the type of restoration you’ll receive, and the extent of any necessary preliminary work you must undergo before your placement surgery. When you visit us for your consultation, we’ll be able to provide you with a specific estimate for the cost of your procedure. Although dental implants may seem expensive, they present a remarkable long-term value. They’re an investment in your oral health and confidence that will last for decades!