We Specialize in Placing Dental Implants

As a dental implants specialist in Columbia, we are extremely proud to be part of a technological advancement that is changing the conversation in regard to tooth loss.

With dental implants we can give you new teeth that:

• #1 Look Natural
• #2 Act Like Your Old Teeth
• #3 Remain Securely in Place

For too long tooth loss led to wires, dental cement, and gooey adhesives, all of which were used to hold their new fake teeth in place. With the introduction of dental implants, we can give you the option to replace the lost tooth with one that looks, feels, and functions exactly like the original. Even more impressively, dental implants replace the lost root of the tooth in addition to the visible surface, known as the crown. For many people, this revolutionary new way of replacing teeth has led to questions. Our patients want to know how long dental implants typically last, the procedures involved in placing a dental implant, and whether or not they are eligible to take advantage of implants.

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All of this and more are discussed during our initial consultations. For anyone considering dental implants, people need to know that almost anyone can get them. There are a few restrictions that patients need to be aware of since dental implantation requires oral surgery and is performed by an oral surgeon or periodontist. In order to get dental implants, you will need to be healthy enough to get oral surgery.

There are also a few conditions and habits that preclude one from getting dental implants, something we will discuss at length with a dental implant specialist. It is imperative that an individual tells the dentist all of the individual's medical conditions, any medications the individual may be taking (including herbal or other non-traditional medication), and habits that he or she may have, like smoking or consuming alcohol.

Our Success Rates

Success for a dental implant specialist is measured in the number of decades you successfully use your dental implant, not years. Typically, dental implants have a very high success rate and can last 20 or more years. Achieving this is not an accident. We carefully prepare the patients for the process, taking every precaution to ensure there are no hindrances that may cause the implant to fail.

While this is often time-consuming, it is necessary for success. The journey toward having implants will begin with an extremely comprehensive examination to determine the overall health of the patient's mouth. We will use dental imaging like X-rays and CT scans to make sure that the jawbone has enough density to withstand and support the implant.

For some patients, we can proceed directly to the implant stage directly after the exam, which is known as an immediate implant placement. If we discover that your jawbone does not have the density it requires, we may need to perform an alveolar bone graft, which targets the upper portion of the jawbone where the teeth are. This onlay bone graft can create a block of the jawbone that is dense enough to successfully place the implant, and it only requires around six months of healing before we can proceed to the next stage.