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Tooth Implant Q & A:

Question: Can I replace my missing teeth so that I do not have to take them out? What are implants?

Answer: Many people of all ages have had their missing teeth replaced very successfully with strong and safe root-shaped titanium tooth Implants. You most likely are a good candidate for tooth implants, which can replace one single missing tooth, a few teeth, or all the teeth in an entire jaw. Dr. Bridger will work closely with a periodontal or oral surgeon, who with no discomfort will place implants in the bone of your jaw where teeth are missing.

After a few weeks’ of healing, Dr. Bridger will take impressions to make your teeth replacements. Crowns and bridges are fixed (“permanent”) and can not be removed by you. You just eat with and clean them like natural teeth. Overdentures, which snap on to the implants or to a bar connecting the implants must be removed by you for cleaning.

All the restorations are comfortable and natural looking and restore the stability, tightness, feeling and confidence of your natural teeth. Just think how good it would be to not have those flopping dentures another day!

Dr. Bridger can even attach your existing denture to your new tooth implants the very day they are placed by the surgeon so you can’t remove it. How fine would it be to walk into our office with a loose, ill-fitting denture that is hard to eat with and walk out a few hours later with non-removable teeth connected to your jaw, ready to eat?

Question: How can you tell if a tooth may be dying? Will I need tooth implants or will the tooth need to be pulled?

Answer: If the tooth turns dark, the nerve inside is probably dying. Usually a root canal and a crown can save the tooth. If the tooth gets very loose or hurts, the nerve inside m may be dying. The jaw bone around teeth in a 17 year old is strong, but pretty pliable.

So probably the tooth is not dying. It takes a few months usually before you can tell for sure. Get a dentist to x-ray it now and every 4 months for a year. Usually a dying nerve will cause a dark hole in the bone at the end of the tooth, which can be seen on x-ray.

Tooth Implant Houston: Description

Tooth implant description An tooth implant is a titanium "root" which can be placed in to the jawbone. Once integrated with your bone, the tooth implant can be used to support a crown, a bridge, or secure a complete denture.

Dental implants may be used to eliminate partial plates and dentures. Implants have been used successfully for over 30 years and have a high success rate, and function and feel like your natural teeth. In our Houston tooth implant office, dental implants are now the standard of care for replacing missing teeth.

Dental implant treatment represents a slightly greater investment than conventional treatment; however, the benefits of implant therapy for most patients outweigh the minor additional costs involved.

Tooth Implant Photo Show

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Tooth Implant Placement

Tooth implant placement There are actually two phases to implant dentistry in our Houston office...

Phase 1: Using very accurate surgical techniques, an incision is made in the gum tissues and implants are placed into dimensionally controlled sites (depth and width) in the jawbone. First the gum tissue is opened and the jaw gone is tapped with a small drill and then drilled with a wider drill. The implant is inserted into place. The gum tissues are then closed and the healing phase begins. For our Houston tooth implant clients, this may take anywhere from 3-6 months to ensure a strong base.

Phase 2 tooth implant: An abutment is secured to the top of the implant. A new tooth implant crown is placed onto the abutment. Tooth implants can replace a single tooth, several teeth or your dentures.

Tooth implant phase 2

Single Tooth Implant

Tooth implant cross section Dr. Bridger's Houston dental team may recommend a single tooth implant procedure if a tooth has been extracted or is missing. A titanium implant base is placed into he jawbone to resemble the tooth root. For our Houston tooth implant clients, we allow a period of time for the jawbone to heal over the tooth implant base before fitting for a crown.

Tooth implant base Tooth implant root

Next an abutment is screwed into the base of the tooth implant to allow for a crown to be fitted on top.

Finally a custom fabricated crown is placed over the tooth implant abutment to function like a real tooth.

Multiple Teeth Implants

Multiple tooth implants Multiple teeth implants may be placed if you need or desire to permanently replace an extracted or lost tooth. Titanium tooth implant bases are placed into the jawbone to replace the job of the tooth roots. We allow a period of time to allow for the jawbone to heal over the bases before fitting for a crown.

Next, tooth implant abutments are screwed into the bases of the implants to allow crowns to be attached. Finally custom fabricated crowns are placed over the tooth implant abutments and will function like a real tooth.

Tooth implant crowns

Solutions For Loose Dentures...No More Dentures!!!

Dental tooth implants that can be placed to accept a full arch of teeth. With only 4 to 6 implants in the upper or lower arch, a full set of non-removable Permanent Implant Denture teeth can be placed, which feel and chew just like your original teeth.

Or with just 2 implants in the lower arch or just four implants in the upper arch conneted by snug-fitting snaps, a more economical full set of removable, but tight Snap On Dentures teeth can be placed, which function like a full set of normal teeth. These are also called "Overdentures".

Solutions For Loose Dentures...No More Dentures!!!

All On Four Implants | Teeth In An Hour | Snap On Dentures | Permanent Implant Dentures | Tooth Implant Sitemap

What You Need To Know...

Dental tooth implants may be the answer if you're looking for an attractive, comfortable, and permanent replacement for missing teeth.

Many of us, and our Houston dental implant clients, take for granted the work our natural teeth perform over the years. We seldom stop to appreciate how easily we bite into a dense, chewy bagel or enjoy a succulent ear of corn on the cob. We may talk, smile and laugh with confidence and our teeth may function pain-free for decades.

That all changes when we're faced with tooth loss or experience the diminished ability of our teeth to perform natural functions--tooth implants may be the answer. It's then that our Houston clients realize the tremendous value of healthy teeth in our lives, and how much they affect our chewing, confidence and appearance.

Dental tooth implants have helped hundreds of thousands of people regain the function and confidence they once took for granted. Whether you're missing a single tooth or require a complete set of teeth, you owe it to yourself to talk with your dentist about the many benefits that dental tooth implants can offer. Or call Dr. Bridger, whose been performing tooth implants in Houston for over 25 years.

Benefits of Dental Tooth Implants

Because dental tooth implants are patterned after the structure of your natural teeth, they provide a highly stable support system for the replacement teeth or dentures. Other benefits include:

Improved biting pressure. Healty teeth are able to absorb over 500 pounds of biting pressure per square inch. If you've worn dentures for a long time, that pressure may be diminished significantly, to one-tenth that of natural teeth. Dental tooth implants can often restore the amount of pressure that can be withstood to nearly the same level of healthy natural teeth.
Comfort and fit. Because your tooth implants are anchored securely to the posts in your jawbone, they can't slip and slide like unsecured dentures can. When dentures aren't secure enough, they often cause sores in the mouth and an annoying clicking sound. Dental tooth implants eliminate these problems.
Longevity and reliability. Our Houston tooth implant staff has found that with proper oral hygiene and care, scientifically tested and approved dental tooth implant systems have been shown to last as long as 20 years or more with few complications.
Increased self-confidence. Because dental tooth implants function remarkably like natural teeth, most of our Houston tooth implant clients who get them experience a renewed sense of self-confidence once they realize they can again chew, talk, laugh and smile with confidence.

Call our Houston tooth implant office today! (713) 266-2244

Brands and dental implant products we use in our procedures.

Member of the Academy of Implant Osseointegration
Active Member of Implant Dentistry Study Group

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Dr. Bridger, DDS, West Houston Dentist
3400 S. Gessner, Suite 101
Houston TX 77063

Copyright 2009 by Dr. Bridger DDS
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