Dental Implants
Tooth loss is a serious problem that can make it difficult to speak clearly, chew effectively, and feel good about your appearance. Missing teeth can also lead to bone loss in the jaw, causing other teeth to shift. This increases your risk of tooth decay and periodontal disease, and it also changes your natural facial shape.
If you’re ready to restore a missing tooth, our periodontist can help. We can restore your tooth using a dental implant and bone grafting if necessary. This process will improve your oral health and increase your long-term quality of life.
How Do Dental Implants Work?
When you want a permanent, natural-looking solution to missing teeth, dental implants are the best treatment available.
A dental implant is a biocompatible titanium post that our periodontist places in your jawbone. As your tissue heals, it fuses to the dental implant post. This process stimulates new bone growth, which helps maintain your natural face shape and promotes good oral health.
After a few months of healing, you’ll return to our office so that we can place a dental crown on top of your titanium dental implant post. This restoration completes the tooth replacement and allows it to function normally again.
Why Do I Need Bone Grafting?
For implant placement to be successful, a certain amount of bone must exist in the jaw to completely surround the dental implant. The bone gives the implant stability and strength to support the forces of chewing.
In certain situations, either due to genetics or to the gradual bone resorption that occurs when a tooth is missing, you may not have sufficient bone where your natural tooth used to be, and we would not be able to place a dental implant. However, our periodontist can add bone to the area in a procedure called bone grafting. After the bone graft heals, we will be able to place your dental implant.
What Is the Bone Grafting Process?
When you meet with our periodontal specialist about dental implant treatment, we will use imaging diagnostics to determine how much bone you have in your jaw. If you lack enough bone to support a dental implant, we will discuss a bone grafting treatment plan with you.
In the bone grafting procedure, your periodontist will add special bone grafting material to your jawbone. If the amount of bone needed is minor, we may be able to place the dental implant in the same procedure. If not, you’ll return to our dental office in a few months after the area has had time to heal.
The timing of placing the dental implant after bone grafting is important to avoid bone resorption, and your periodontal specialist will schedule your dental implant procedure with that in mind.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Bone Grafting?
While dental implants are fast becoming the treatment of choice for replacing missing teeth, some patients may not be good candidates for either dental implants or bone grafting. In these cases, we may recommend a dental bridge or another restorative dental treatment.
The best way to find out if you’re a good candidate for bone grafting or dental implants is to schedule an appointment with our periodontist for a tooth replacement evaluation. Call to schedule a dental appointment today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Dental implants are the gold standard for teeth replacement, providing a long-term, reliable solution. However, if the bone in your jaw is degenerative or genetically thin, the dental implant may fail. Dr. Capati can perform bone grafting in the area so that the dental implant has a strong support.
Bone needs stimulation to grow, and if a tooth is missing, the body begins to reabsorb bone in the empty space. This process can result in facial hollowness, changes to your gum line, and even misalignment of other teeth.
One of the main benefits of dental implants is that it stimulates bone growth in the area of the missing tooth. In this process, called osseointegration, the post of the dental implant fuses with the jawbone, causing new bone growth around the post and better oral health.
If you don’t have enough bone in the area of a missing tooth, Dr. Capati can perform a bone graft using your own tissue or a biocompatible synthetic material. The bone graft will stimulate new bone cell growth and allow you to benefit from a dental implant.
Bone grafting is a routine procedure that requires local anesthesia and sometimes sedation, if needed. Dr. Capati can tell you if you’re a good candidate.
Our Team
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Dr. Laura Capati
Dr. Laura Capati grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and earned her bachelor's degree at Washington University in St. Louis. She went on to graduate from Southern Illinois University with a Doctorate in Dental Medicine, then completed her three-year periodontic residency at St. Louis University.
Dr. Capati is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, a distinguished credential that signifies she has achieved significant accomplishments beyond the mandatory educational requirements of the specialty. This board certification demonstrates her commitment to the highest standards of periodontal care and expertise.
She maintains active membership ...
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Bone Grafting and Dental Implants Technology
CBCT Cone Beam Technology
3-D dental imaging is an exciting new dental technology that allows your dentist to get a full view inside your mouth, allowing for better diagnosis and treatment of dental issues. With 3-D imaging, your dentist will use a 3-D imaging machine to create a 3-D rendering of the inside of your mouth. This is superior to traditional 2-D x-rays because it offers your dentist a look at your entire mouth in 3-D, providing more vivid detail and a variety of perspectives.
Your dentist will be able to zoom in on areas, rotate the view, and enjoy a variety of angles, which makes for a much more in-depth imaging experience. Creating the 3-D image is simple and easy, taking only a few minutes.