Tooth loss can impact both the appearance and health of your smile. If you are suffering from missing teeth or require tooth extraction, dental implants can provide a secure base on which customized, natural-looking restorations like crowns, bridges, and dentures can be placed. As a leader in dental implant surgery and placement, Ridgewood Dental Associates is proud to use state-of-the-art implant material and advanced techniques to help restore structure and function to your smile. These small, durable titanium posts are surgically embedded in the jawbone and designed to mimic tooth roots, preventing further bone atrophy at the site of a missing tooth. At our Bergen County practice in Ridgewood, NJ, we offer both traditional implants and All-on-4® to meet the unique needs of our patients and provide long-term dental solutions.
Determine Your Candidacy
To determine whether you are a candidate for dental implants, our team will carefully evaluate your medical history and your overall health. For optimal results, we will address any underlying medical conditions before proceeding with your dental implant treatment. We may also request x-rays or 3-D scans for a detailed image of your jaw. These scans will help us to assess the structure of your smile and design a customized, comprehensive placement strategy. You may be a candidate for dental implants if you:
- Are missing one or more teeth
- Have severe decay or damage to one or more teeth
- Have sufficient jawbone tissue to support dental implants
- Are in good overall health
For the right patients, dental implants provide a stable restorative option that can improve the health of your smile and your quality of life.
Types of Implants
To meet your unique needs, we offer two types of dental implants. Our practice offers:
Traditional Dental Implants
Traditional dental implants are essentially small screws that are placed at the site of a missing tooth to replace the tooth root. These implants can be placed in specific configurations to support a single crown, dental bridge, or full dentures. The process of placing dental implants generally requires two separate procedures followed by the placement of your restoration. However, if you do not have sufficient bone tissue to support implants, you may require a preliminary bone graft treatment for optimal results.
During the first procedure, the dentist will place the dental implant in the jawbone. Recovery can take anywhere from three to six months. During this period, your body will undergo the natural process of osseointegration, in which the dental implant will fuse with your bone to create a stable and sturdy foundation. The dentist may provide you with temporary restorations while you await your final procedure. After you have fully healed, you will return to the office to receive abutments. These devices attach to the implants and serve as the point of connection with your restorations. Once the abutments are in place, the gums are sutured closed, leaving the abutments exposed. When your gums have healed, we can place your customized restorations, adding the finishing touches to your fresh, new smile.
The full timeline for receiving implants can take about four to seven months.
All-on-4
The All-on-4technique offers an alternative for patients who do not have sufficient bone tissue to support traditional implants or would prefer to avoid preliminary procedures like bone grafting. Using only four strategically placed implants, our team can place a full denture in a single appointment. To help you achieve immediate results, our dentists can provide you with a temporary restoration to wear until your implants have fully fused with the bone tissue.
All-on-4 Implants can help you avoid the need for bone grafting.
The Benefits of Dental Implants
If your smile has suffered from severe damage or decay, dental implants can dramatically improve your confidence and wellbeing. Dental implants provide numerous health and aesthetic benefits.
Oral Health Benefits
Missing or severely decayed teeth can be detrimental to your oral health as well as your overall health. Missing teeth can lead to widespread dental misalignment. In turn, this may result in an imbalanced bite, which can be a major contributor to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. Meanwhile, severely decayed teeth can contribute to the development of gum disease, which can lead to gum recession and tooth loss. Gum disease has been linked to serious health conditions like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Tooth extraction alone cannot fully restore the health of your smile. When a tooth is lost, the jawbone will begin to recede. Dental implants are the only treatment that can stop jaw recession following tooth loss. This is because the body perceives implants as tooth roots. This benefit not only helps you retain bone tissue, but also preserves the structure of your jaw and face. Dental implants also provide a strong, durable foundation for your prostheses to help you chew, eat, and speak normally. Once your implant-supported restorations are in place, you can care for them just like natural teeth by brushing and flossing twice a day.
Aesthetic Benefits
If you feel self-conscious about an incomplete smile, dental implants can boost your confidence and provide you with an effective solution. Our team can create customized prostheses such as crowns, bridges, or dentures that look and feel natural to provide you with a beautiful, full smile.
These small, durable titanium posts are surgically embedded in the jawbone and designed to mimic tooth roots, preventing further bone atrophy at the site of a missing tooth.
High-Quality Care and Materials
At Ridgewood Dental Associates, our team is complete with a certified periodontist and prosthodontists, so we can address the roots of any underlying dental conditions before your procedure. We perform every step of treatment in-house to ensure the quality of your care from start to finish.
Our experienced team of dentists and prosthodontists have spent years placing and restoring dental implants and use only the highest quality material to provide patients with safe, effective, and long-lasting results. We are committed to using trusted brands such as Straumann®, Nobel Biocare®, and Zimmer Biomet. Our team will listen to your goals and concerns to recommend the appropriate type of implants.
Cost of Dental Implants
If you are ready to restore the health and beauty of your smile but are worried about the cost, we offer financing options through CareCredit® to make this vital procedure more affordable. Though the cost of dental implants varies depending upon the type of implant used and the necessary preliminary procedures, we can help to place the cost of treatment within your budget.
Restore a Full Smile
The benefits of dental implant surgery are aesthetic and practical, improving your oral health and providing a strong foundation for your custom restorations. To learn more about the dental implant process and your candidacy, call Ridgewood Dental Associates today at (201) 652-2474 or fill out our online form. During a consultation, we can determine if dental implants are the right tooth replacement solution for you.
