Dental Implants Houston

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are, at their core, tooth-sized posts made of high-grade titanium. Their primary role is to replace the roots of a patient’s missing teeth.

Notably, dental implants work differently from other tooth replacements. Unlike dentures or (regular) dental bridges, they’re set in your jaw’s empty sockets; they don’t just sit on your gums. This design lets the posts fuse with your jaw and become permanent parts of your mouth. In other words, each implant remains secure and faces little or no risk of slipping or falling out.

The 4-Step Dental Implant Process

Here at our practice, the dental implant process consists of four crucial steps. These are:

• Initial Dental Implant Consultation – You’ll meet Dr. Tran to discuss how treatment might work. In that talk, our team may conclude you’re eligible for dental implants right away. On the other hand, we may decide you need specific preliminary procedures first.
• Dental Implant Surgery – After the consultation, you’ll undergo dental implant surgery at our office. This work involves complex tools and places each post in your jawbone.
• Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment – Your dental implants will fuse with your jaw in the months after surgery. Once that process concludes, we’ll place your posts’ abutments.
• Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s) – For the last phase of treatment, we’ll place your final restoration. This device could be a crown, bridge, or denture, and it’ll blend seamlessly with your smile.

The Benefits of Dental Implants

With dental implants from Dr. Tran, you’ll enjoy benefits like:

• A Gorgeous Grin – Every dental implant is capped with porcelain, so they all blend seamlessly with your other teeth. Even friends and family shouldn’t notice they aren’t “real” teeth.
• High Success Rate – Due to their technology and materials, dental implants usually succeed in the long run. Their ten-year success rate is over 95%!
• A Younger Face – Dental implants help your face look young, as they stimulate your jawbone to preserve its bone tissue.
• Better Chewing – By restoring your bite force once placed, dental implants allow you to chew tough foods.
• Long-Lasting Results – Dental implants can last twenty years or more, assuming you give them proper care.

Who Dental Implants Can Help

Most patients with missing teeth can receive dental implants. The only caveat is whether dental implant surgery can happen right away. In many cases, individuals need additional treatment before accepting their new teeth; however, this will all be discussed during an initial consultation with Dr. Tran.

Missing One Tooth

A dental implant crown does not differ from a normal crown placed on a natural tooth. After placing the artificial tooth root, you will have to wait a few weeks or months to receive your custom-made crown.

After your dental implant surgery, Dr. Tran will place a temporary, removable crown on your post. This natural-looking cap will serve as a placeholder before we set the permanent crown.

Missing Multiple Teeth

If you’ve lost three (or more) consecutive teeth, Dr. Tran may recommend an implant bridge. This kind uses dental implants instead of crowns, so it can treat large smile gaps. Such a bridge also won’t alter your nearby natural teeth; it doesn’t rely on abutments. As a result, your smile’s remaining enamel will stay safe.

Of course, maybe your missing teeth aren’t adjacent. We’ll likely advise a partial implant denture in that case.

Missing All Teeth

Patients who’ve lost (or will lose) all their teeth should look into an implant denture. Relying on a few well-placed posts, this appliance can restore a whole arch all at once. It also won’t slip or fall like a regular denture might; it’ll remain stable for many years. Better yet, this denture only uses a few posts to make treatment less invasive.

Dental Implant Crowns & Bridges

While single dental implants are great, sometimes they just aren’t enough. A patient’s smile gap may be too large for an individual post to fill. In those sorts of cases, we advise that patients use dental implant crowns and bridges.  These combined appliances can remove your grin’s gaps all at once, ensuring your smile looks pretty and whole again. For more details on them and their parts, just keep reading below!

What is an Abutment?

Once your dental implant has been placed, Dr. Viet Tran will place an abutment on top of the dental implant. This abutment will be the piece that connects the implant to the dental implant crown.

What is a Dental Implant Crown?

A dental implant crown is a custom-created replacement tooth made to match your natural teeth. Dr. Viet Tran will take a molding of the tooth and create a new dental crown to place on top of the abutment.

What is a Dental Implant Bridge?

A dental implant bridge is very similar to a regular bridge, but instead of connecting to surrounding teeth, the bridge is supported by the implants. Dental implant bridges are usually used when you are missing more than one tooth.

When you need dental implant crowns, bridges, and abutments in Houston, Texas, go to Smiles of Memorial. Dr. Viet Tran and his expert staff will answer all of your questions. Schedule a consultation today to see if they’re the solution for you!

Bone Grafting

If your jawbone has eroded from tooth loss, you may need a bone graft before dental implant surgery. This procedure adds new tissue to your jaw to increase its density. Through that addition, your jawbone will have the strength needed to keep your implant post stable. You wouldn’t even have to worry about long-term side effects; the grafting material is slowly absorbed by your body and replaced by your own new bone tissue.

Of course, only Dr. Tran can confirm whether you need a bone graft. He’ll cover that detail during your consultation.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants

While you may trust dental implants, you should still consider the price of getting them. (A treatment that “breaks the bank” won’t offer much long-term help.) Just note that you’ll need to visit us for the estimate, as the cost of dental implants varies by patient. We’ll find ways to make your care affordable once you have, as well as outline your treatment’s price factors. Our team can also share helpful payment options with you, including our dental financing program.

Dental Implant FAQs