Restorative Options with Dental Implants

Replacing Cleveland's Missing Teeth

There are many variations of restorations that can be achieved using dental implants for support.

The below discussion is far from complete and the type of restoration that would be appropriate for your situation can only be determined after a personalized evaluation and study by your doctor.

Single Missing Teeth

When a single tooth is lost there are several ways to fill the space but the most conservative and least damaging to other teeth is the single tooth implant crown. Without sculpting down the adjacent teeth or fabricating a removable partial denture we can replace your missing tooth. Replacing just what was lost.

Single missing teeth in an area that affects your esthetics can frequently have a provisional restoration placed the same day as the implant placement. For those patients that have been involved in a traumatic fracture of a front tooth you can have your smile back quickly. Teeth-In-A-Day. When a back tooth is being replaced the treatment is quick easy and very simple for our patients. With treatment times in the office as short as two hours these are incredible ways of preserving function and smiles.

These treatments can often be done in our office with simply local anesthetics or a variety of sedation techniques. Patients relate to us very little discomfort with this treatment. The proper answer to single missing teeth without damaging the adjacent teeth is the single tooth implant restoration.

Multiple Missing Teeth

The numbers of missing teeth create large variations in treatment variations for our patients.

These types of treatment combines implant therapy with high level crown and bridge dental techniques. As with most dental implant procedures several visits of preplanning are required and coordination of the restorative doctor and surgical doctor, if not the same person, is critical to success.

Depending upon when and how the teeth were lost there may be a need to utilize bone rebuilding procedures to obtain optimum support for an implant prosthesis. In certain cases this bone rebuilding may be able to be performed at the same time as implant placement and in other cases it will require an independent procedure. Your doctor will be able to make this determination after a complete personal evaluation and study of your radiographs.

The vast majority of prosthetics for this type of situation involves fixed, non-removable, restorations. These are designed for each individual’s personal circumstance. Once your doctor has had ample time to study your information he will discuss with you all of the variations of therapy that would apply to you. Then, in a controlled sequence, you will be able to begin your journey of return to health.

All Teeth Missing in One or Both Jaws

For those individuals who have no teeth or must lose all of their teeth there are several options for treatment with implant supported prosthetics.

Each individuals exact treatment options must be determined based on a multitude of factors that can only be determined after a complete dental evaluation and analysis of those results. Before we can discuss with you which of the following treatments might apply to your particular situation we will have to study the results of our evaluation. After analyzing the results we will meet with you and discuss all of your personal treatment options. Together we will decide upon which direction of therapy to proceed.

There are two groups of treatment options for the edentulous (without teeth) patient. Those are prosthetics that are removable from the mouth by the patient and those that are fixed in the mouth and only removable by the dentist. We will also discuss those treatment options from those with increasing levels of stability and the least retention to those with the most retention.

Option: A FLOATING COMPLETE DENTURE

This is always an option for treatment of those individuals who have lost all of their teeth. Unfortunately despite the best efforts of any dentists upper floating complete dentures have limited stability and lower floating complete dentures generally have terrible stability. Yes, eventually you can learn to tolerate them but given the choice nearly all patient would prefer stability.

Option: DENTURES STABILIZED ON INDIVIDUAL IMPLANTS

We will painlessly place between two and eight implants into the bone of the jaw and cover them with gum tissue. After allowing adequate time for healing the implants are exposed into the mouth and an extension piece (abutment) is added to the top of each implant. The dentist will place clips into the denture prosthesis that will allow the prosthesis to snap onto the top of the implants and provide increased stability. Patients frequently ask it their existing denture can be utilized for this treatment. Unfortunately, the answer is usually no. Stability of this or any implant prosthesis is dependent on a solid well balance prosthesis. Unfortunately it is rare for us to find a prosthesis the meets all of necessary criteria to be utilized. This prosthesis is removable by the patient.

Option: BAR STABILIZED IMPLANT DENTURE

We will painlessly place between two and six implants into the bone of the jaw and cover them with gum tissue. After allowing adequate time for healing the implants are exposed into the mouth and an extension piece (abutment) is added to the top of each implant. The dentist will then proceed through a series of visits that will fabricate a retaining bar that will be fixed to the implants and a specialized prosthesis that will snap onto that bar. This type of prosthesis requires such specific precision that an existing denture prosthesis could never be utilized as part of the final prosthesis but might be able to be utilized as the transitional (provisional) prosthesis. This type of prosthesis is removable by the patient.

Option: SPARK EROSION OR SPECIALIZED LOCK IMPLANT DENTURE

We will painlessly place between two and eight implants into the bone of the jaw and cover them with gum tissue. After allowing adequate time for healing the implants are exposed into the mouth and an extension piece (abutment) is added to the top of each implant. The dentist will then proceed through a series of visits that will fabricate very specialized retaining bar that will either be electromilled and/or have a series of precision attachments placed on the bar. The bar will be fixed to the implants and anchored in the patient’s mouth. A precision prosthesis will be fabricated that fits incredibly tightly to the retaining bar. These prosthetics are removable by the patients but have the feel of a fixed (non-removable) prosthesis.

Option: FIXED IMPLANT DENTURE (HYBRID PROSTHESIS)

We will painlessly place between four and eight implants into the bone of the jaw and cover them with gum tissue. An option exists with this prosthesis that a fixed transitional (temporary) denture prosthesis can be fabricated the same day as surgery. Teeth-in-Day. For those whose bone structure does not allow fabrication of a fixed provisional are removable transitional prosthesis is fabricated.. The doctor will then begin fabrication of your fixed implant prosthesis. Once the prosthetic is completed it will be fixed to the implants and will be removable only by the dentist.

Option: FIXED IMPLANT PROSTHESIS

This is the ultimate of all implant prosthetics. These very complex prosthetics allow the highest levels of function stability and esthetics. We will painlessly place between four and eight implants into the bone of the jaw and cover them with gum tissue. An option exists with this prosthesis that a fixed transitional (temporary) denture prosthesis can be fabricated the same day as surgery. Teeth-in-Day. For those whose bone structure does not allow fabrication of a fixed provisional are removable transitional prosthesis is fabricated. After allowing adequate time for healing the implants are exposed into the mouth and the fabrication of your new prosthesis will begin. When it is completed you will be returned to as close to a natural felling and function as possible.

If you wish more information regarding Restorative Treatments or wish to find out how our highly trained staff might assist you please call us to schedule an evaluation and consultation. 440-461-8200. You may also email us though the “contact us” page on this website.