Dental implants may be recommended by our Fort St. John Dental Clinic team to replace missing teeth and restore the look and function of your smile.
What Are Dental Implants?
A dental implant is a metal root that replaces your tooth root, offering a more permanent solution to replacing missing teeth than dentures. They can be used to replace a single lost tooth or many missing teeth and can address a number of oral health issues while leaving you with a natural-looking, functional smile.
How Dental Implants Work
To begin, a dental implant is surgically placed in your jawbone, where it serves as the root for a missing tooth. An artificial tooth is then designed to match the rest of your tooth structure and attached to the top of the implant.
Other benefits of dental implants include:
- Prevention of bite and jaw joint problems caused by teeth shifting
- Resolving jaw joint pain or bite issues
- Preventing surrounding teeth from shifting
- Improving the ability to chewing, speech and digestion
- Restoring the 'sunken face' look associated with missing teeth
Dental Implants FAQs
Read the answers to these questions we frequently get about implants.
- Are implant procedures typically successful?
More than half million patients have been treated. Now more than thirty years of clinical documentation has proven the success of the cylindrical implant system.
With one of the highest success rates in dentistry, cylindrical type implant systems continue to lead the world in dental implant treatment. - Will the dental implant procedure be painful?
During and after the operation you are unlikely to experience any major discomfort. Your dentist will discuss anesthesia options with you and plan your procedure based on your expressed wishes. Usually however, dental implant placement is done using local anesthesia.
- Will I be able to chew normally?
Yes! Chewing efficiency has actually been shown to significantly improve after treatment with cylindrical implant systems, in fact, following a brief adaptation period, is comparable to the chewing efficiency of natural teeth.
- How long will my dental implants last?
30 years ago the first cylindrical-type implants were put in place, and we're delighted to report that they are still functioning perfectly.
There is no time limit on the life expectancy of successful cylindrical implant systems and dental implant systems continue to improve.
The Procedure
The implant procedure requires three pieces: a metal root, an abutment, and a tooth replacement such as crown or bridge.
Your dentist will first surgically place the metal root into the jaw bone. It generally takes four to six months for the surgical implant to heal before the artificial tooth or teeth can be placed.
Once healed, your dentist will attach the abutment and tooth replacement to the metal root, creating the appearance and function of a natural tooth.
In some cases there may be not enough bone to support an implant and advanced oral surgery to restore the jaw bone may be necessary to allow use of implants.