Dental Implants Putnam

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

You will meet with Dr. Moaz or Dr. Zakhem for a consultation to go over the status of your oral and overall health as well as your jawbone density. This will determine whether you need additional treatments (i.e., bone grafting, gum disease treatment, etc.) before moving forward with dental implant surgery. While medications like blood thinners and steroids and health conditions like pregnancy, diabetes, osteoporosis, hemophilia, and cancer can make the implantation process more complicated, they do not necessarily disqualify a patient from the treatment. Please be thorough when discussing your medical history with our dentist.

Dental Implant Surgery

There is no need to refer patients to an outside specialist since our team can perform precise dental implant surgery in-house. You will receive local anesthesia before having each implant carefully placed in the jawbone through a small incision in the gum tissue. A protective cap will then be placed on each of your new implants, and you will need several months for your devices to integrate with your jawbone before continuing with the placement process.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

After your implants have fused with your jawbone through the amazing process of osseointegration, you’ll come back to our office for another minor surgical procedure that places abutment pieces on them. These devices will allow your customized restorations to be securely anchored to your implants. During this meeting, we will also take precise measurements of your teeth and jaws so we can craft a comfortable and beautiful final crown, bridge, or denture for you.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)

After you have had a few weeks to heal after receiving abutments, you’ll come back to our office so we can anchor your customized restoration in place. After any final adjustments to your denture, bridge, or crown, you’ll be ready to show off your newly completed smile to the world.

Day-to-Day Benefits

You won’t have to wait long to enjoy the benefits of dental implants in Putnam. In fact, you’ll notice the following almost immediately after you’ve healed:

• Lifelike Appearance – Not only are dental implants secured to your jawbone, but the restoration on top is custom-made with your face shape, dental needs, and aesthetic goals in mind. As a result, it looks and feels just like the real thing!
• Restored Bite – Like many other patients, you may be used to eating the same bland, boring foods on repeat. Don’t worry – dental implants are as durable as they are lifelike. So, you’ll be able to enjoy a much more varied, satisfying diet.
• Better Speaking Patterns – Following tooth loss, many patients find it difficult to enunciate clearly. Fortunately, dental implants can replace any number of missing teeth. Once you get used to them (which won’t take long), you’ll sound like your usual self again!

Health Benefits

Another perk of dental implants: they benefit your oral and overall health! More specifically, they:

• Help Prevent Dental Drift – If you haven’t heard of dental drift before, it’s when the teeth surrounding the gap begin to move out of place. Since this can lead to several problems, including premature wear, it’s important to address tooth loss head-on. Dental implants do just that!
• Allow You to Eat Nutrient-Dense Foods – A diet that’s limited to only applesauce, pudding, and vegetable soup isn’t just boring; it can also negatively impact your overall health. With dental implants, we can restore your strong bite and your ability to eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods.
• Are Easy to Maintain – Dental implants don’t require any special or expensive cleaning products. All you need to do to keep them in pristine condition is incorporate healthy habits into your routine, including brushing your teeth twice a day and scheduling a dental visit twice a year.

Long-Term Benefits

Dental implants are considered the “gold standard” of tooth replacement, largely due to the long-term benefits they come with, including:

• Preventing Bone Loss – While other tooth-replacement solutions rest against your gums, dental implants are inserted directly into your jawbone. This ensures it gets stimulated when you chew, helping prevent bone loss in the process.
• Maintaining a More Youthful Appearance – Oftentimes, patients look older than they are with noticeable gaps in their smile. The good news is that dental implants can address mild, moderate, and severe tooth loss in a way that looks and feels extremely natural.
• Longevity – Last, but definitely not least, dental implants can last for several decades with the proper care and maintenance.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

You may already be aware that your artificial teeth cannot get cavities like your natural ones do. Unfortunately, it’s still possible to contract gum disease, which can affect them. Your dental implants can fail if germs penetrate your gums and cause an infection.

Preventing this is as simple as brushing and flossing your teeth twice daily. You should also schedule regular checkups with our team every six months so that we can monitor your condition and ensure that your teeth, gums, and restoration are all in good health.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Unlike alternatives like dentures or dental bridges, dental implants are embedded in your jaw and fuse with the bone for added strength and stability. That means they come with fewer dietary restrictions, so it’s easier for you to eat a well-balanced diet.

Instead of indulging in overly hard, sticky, or sugary foods that can damage your restoration, you can opt for wholesome foods that support them. For instance, dairy products are full of calcium to support bone growth, while citrus fruits have lots of vitamin C for healthy gums.

Break Bad Habits

As resilient as they are, dental implants are not entirely invincible. Certain bad habits, like smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco, can cause them to fail even years after their successful placement. Tobacco products contain nicotine, which is bad for your oral well-being. It can stain your teeth, attract bacteria, and constrict your blood flow, so your body cannot deliver essential nutrients to your teeth and gums.

It’s best to leave these habits in the past to keep your prosthetics looking and feeling great.

Protect Your Dental Implants

If you’ve ever participated in team sports, martial arts, or other high-contact physical activities, then you may already be aware that it’s especially important to protect your grin. A single blow to the face can break a tooth or restoration or knock it out altogether. Our team can provide a custom-fitted mouthguard to keep your smile safe.

Those who suffer from bruxism or chronic teeth-grinding might also benefit from a nightguard so the added pressure from clenching doesn’t crack or break anything.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Although consistently brushing and flossing can prevent oral issues, it’s also important to have regular checkups with our team. We have the experience necessary to spot potential problems you might miss on your own, like a cavity in a hard-to-see spot between your teeth or behind your molars. By seeing us regularly, we can quickly identify areas of concern and provide individualized solutions to address them.