Dental Implants Albuquerque

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are small titanium cylinders that an oral surgeon places below the gumline directly into the jawbone. Over several months, they integrate with the surrounding bone tissue in a process known as osseointegration. Thus, an implant essentially replaces the roots of a missing tooth. This provides a strong, lifelike foundation for the restoration it supports. One or more dental implants can be used to anchor in place a crown, bridge, partial denture, or full denture to help you overcome any level of tooth loss. In the end, you’ll be able to enjoy a complete smile that looks, feels, and functions just like natural!

The 4-Step Dental Implant Process

The dental implant process begins with a consultation with Dr. Boehmer. She and our team will evaluate your oral and overall health and discuss the dental implant procedure with you. If dental implants are right for you, your next appointment will be with a local dental implant specialist who will place the implants in your jawbone. After the implants have had some time to bond with the tissue around them, typically between 4 and 6 months, you’ll return to our office. Then, Dr. Boehmer will design a restoration (crown, bridge, denture, or partial denture) to attach to your implants. Your new teeth will be custom-made to work well with your natural oral structures, providing you with a comfortable bite, a beautiful smile, and perfectly seamless results.

Dr. Boehmer now partners with a local dental implant specialist, allowing patients to benefit from expert implant placement while still receiving personalized care. She will also personally handle the design and creation of the final restoration for a seamlessly smooth treatment process. Above all else, she wants to leave you with a newly restored smile that stands the test of time.

Benefits of Dental Implants

Many of the benefits of dental implants cannot be matched by other tooth replacement options. While fixed bridges and traditional dentures are capable of restoring the aesthetics of an individual’s smile, an implant can restore a tooth’s natural structure from the root up, causing it to stand apart from the rest. Here are some of the most popular benefits our patients love about dental implants:

• An implant is self-supporting. Placing one usually does not require that the adjacent teeth be modified in any way. Patients can therefore retain as much healthy dentition as possible.
• An implant stimulates the jawbone, helping it to stay thick and dense. A traditional bridge or removable denture, on the other hand, does nothing to prevent the bone deterioration that occurs after tooth loss.
• Dental implants offer remarkable longevity. They can last for 30 years or longer, whereas other tooth replacement options may endure for just 10 years or so. In fact, most patients can expect to enjoy their dental implants for a lifetime.
• An implant looks and feels even more natural than a fixed bridge or removable denture.
• Caring for an implant is easy. Maintaining a dental implant is similar in many respects to caring for natural teeth.
• Dental implants enhance your overall aesthetics, giving you a more natural and younger appearance, which can also help to boost your confidence.
• You’ll enjoy greater functionality when eating and speaking with dental implants, providing you with an improved bite force.
• Dental implants are comfortable to wear because they fuse with the bone and tissue, allowing them to feel just like a regular tooth.

Who Dental Implants Can Help

The custom, lifelike restorations Dr. Boehmer designs for your dental implants will depend on a few different factors, including how many natural teeth need to be replenished and where they’re located within the mouth. Most adult patients are considered candidates for this type of treatment; however, it may be necessary for preliminary treatments to be completed before moving forward with implant placement. During a regular consultation with your dental implant dentist in Albuquerque, you can expect there to be a determination as to how soon you will undergo surgery for your new teeth as well as how many posts you will need.

Read More

Who is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

To be considered a good candidate for dental implants, Dr. Boehmer will complete a thorough examination of your oral anatomy. Three components must be considered:

• Your oral health – Do you show any signs of tooth decay or gum disease? Preliminary treatments will be necessary if any are found. These can include periodontal therapy or even tooth extraction if necessary.
• Your overall health – Are you healthy enough to undergo minor oral surgery?
• Your jawbone – Do you have ample jawbone density to adequately support your dental implants and future restoration? If not, you will need a bone graft beforehand.

Missing One Tooth

For singular implants, an all-ceramic dental crown provides the ideal coverage. This new “tooth” will fit right into place alongside the rest of your natural smile, and our team won’t have to reduce the natural, healthy structure of surrounding teeth to accommodate its placement, which would be the case with a traditional bridge.

Missing Multiple Teeth

Planning for the replacement of multiple teeth will depend on their location throughout the mouth. Implant-retained crowns can be used to cover multiple implants in different locations, but a more comprehensive option is an implant bridge. If teeth have been lost that once appeared consecutively along the same arch, two dental implants in Albuquerque can be anchored on either side of the gap to support this sturdy prosthetic and help it fill the space.

Missing All Teeth

Implant dentures are a reliable and cost-effective reconstructive option for patients who’ve lost a great deal of natural teeth. Instead of having to place one dental implant for each missing tooth, a smaller number of posts can be surgically angled within the jawbone to support an entire denture. Your new denture can be either permanently fixed in place or left removable if you’ve already spent years becoming well-accustomed to traditional dentures.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants

Dental implants are a multi-step procedure that involves the placement of one or more titanium posts, the connection of an abutment, and then the final addition of a customized restoration (crown, bridge, denture, etc.). Each of these components will incur its own cost, and no two treatment plans are exactly the same. That’s why your first step should be scheduling a dedicated implant consultation with Dr. Boehmer. She can assess your oral health, listen to your personal goals, and provide confident price estimates before any actual treatment begins. Dental implants may seem like an investment at first glance, but we know that you’ll be more than satisfied with the lifelong benefits.

Dental Implant FAQs