What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are artificial tooth roots placed in your jawbone. They can be made of titanium, titanium-zirconium alloy (TiZr), or solid zirconia. Titanium is biocompatible, which means it’s not harmful to the living tissue in your mouth. It’s a metal that your bone can grow around and bond to in a process called osseointegration. Here at Contemporary Dentistry, we are proud to offer a metal-free dental implant option if patients prefer it.

After your implants are placed, we will put a cosmetic restoration on top of that artificial root, such as a single dental crown, partial dentures, or even full dentures.

Benefits of Implant Dentistry

Dental implants are the tooth replacement that is most like your natural teeth with many benefits, including

  • Look like natural teeth
  • Anchored in the bone, similar to natural teeth
  • Eat all your favorite foods
  • No special care required
  • Support themselves—no modification of neighboring teeth (like needed with a dental bridge)
  • Stimulate jawbone and gums
  • Can last a lifetime

Mature, happy dental implant Rochester, NY patient
Dental implants are attached to you and have gum tissue growing up around them like your natural teeth, so they will fit into your smile perfectly with a dental crown that matches the enamel of your natural teeth. This means no one will know you have dental implants. You can also enjoy all your favorite foods! No need to give up steak or crusty bread because your dentures just can’t cut it—literally!

Because dental implants are in your gums and bone just like natural teeth, you don’t have to care for them in any special way. You can just brush your teeth, floss around them, and make your regular checkups. Our implant dentists and dental treatment team can teach you how to brush and floss your implants and let you know how often to return for checkups.

Dental implants support themselves, so unlike dentures and dental bridges, there’s no damage to your neighboring teeth. Dental bridges are supported by dental crowns on the neighboring teeth. Partial dentures often have hooks and clasps that can wear away enamel.

Although most people get excellent results with titanium, some people choose metal-free zirconia. A small number of people (perhaps 0.6%) experience titanium allergies, which could lead to adverse effects–including dental implant failure. Other people are simply uncomfortable with the presence of metal in their bodies and prefer a metal-free implant dentistry option.

We are happy to offer metal-free implant dentistry, because of the benefits they offer our patients, including:

  • High success rates
  • An appearance similar to a natural tooth root
  • Similar bone-to-implant osseointegration as a titanium implant
  • Improved compatibility with gum tissue
  • No risk of corrosion or the creation of galvanic circuits
  • Safety for people with metal allergies

These benefits make metal-free dental implants a great option for many people, but make sure to talk with one of our implant dentists about which material is best for you.

Can Dental Implants Really Last a Lifetime?

Yes, they can! Here are a couple of examples that show how long-lasting they can be:

  • The first dental implant patient had his four implants for four decades before he passed away.
  • The second dental implant patient has had his implants for 48 years and counting!

But that’s just a couple of examples. Let’s consider some 20-year, long-term studies. These studies show that between 90 and 95% of dental implants are still in place at the end of the follow-up, an average of 15-17 years after placement.

In fact, in terms of defining the “lifetime” of dental implants, we just haven’t reached that point yet. Over half of dental implant failures occur in the first year, during what is described as the “wearing in” period. Then relatively few fail after that, and no studies have been long enough to show the point at which they begin to fail at a significant rate, which would be considered the end of their lifetime.

We can’t guarantee how long your implants will last, but we can say that dental implants can last a lifetime. And we give your implants the best chance of success by using a specialist to place them.

Dental Implant FAQ

To begin the process, we will examine the state of your teeth and overall health to determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants. Next, we will take impressions of your teeth and ensure you have enough jawbone for your implants to succeed. If not, we may perform a bone graft to add density and strength to your jaw.

Once the titanium (or metal-free, if you choose) post is surgically placed into your jaw, you must wait a few months for the jaw to grow around the implant. Once it has healed properly, you will return to the Contemporary Dentistry office, and an abutment will be placed on top of the implant post. The abutment connects the implant to the crown placed on top, resembling a natural tooth. Once your gums and jaw have healed, your Rochester implant dentist will place a permanent crown on top.

The entire dental implant process takes 4-6 months from start to completion. This depends on your individual healing process. If we cannot immediately place a permanent crown on your implant, you will receive a temporary crown until the site is fully healed.

Here at Contemporary Dentistry, your comfort is our priority during the dental implant procedure. You may feel pressure but should not be in pain during the procedure. We will make sure you are comfortable and relaxed throughout the entire process!

No! Because your dental implants look and function like natural teeth, you can enjoy your favorite foods as you normally would.

Learn More About Dental Implants in Rochester, NY

If you want to learn more about dental implants and whether they’re right for you, please call (585) 244-3337 or email us for an appointment with a Rochester implant dentist at Contemporary Dentistry.