Dental Implants in Fort Wayne IN
Dental implants offer a permanent solution to replacing missing teeth. Made of biocompatible materials, these artificial tooth roots have the potential to last for the rest of your life. Plus, they’re strong enough to support fixed crowns, bridges, or dentures to replace as many teeth as necessary.
Dr. Steven Ellinwood works closely with local periodontists and oral surgeons who surgically place the implants. Once this phase is completed, Dr. Ellinwood restores the new “tooth” with a fixed prosthesis that looks and feels closer to your natural smile than any denture or partial ever would.
Types of Restorations Available
The type of dental implant restoration that is best for your smile will depend on the number of teeth you have missing. Generally, a single tooth is replaced with a single implant and then a fixed crown on top of it. This eliminates the need to have a conventional bridge in the area (thus causing the adjacent teeth to be ground down or reshaped.)
Multiple tooth loss can be managed in a couple of different ways. Either a bridge or denture can be anchored on top of the dental implants. Due to their strength, as few as four or six implants can support an entire, full arch denture.
How do Implant Supported Dentures Work?
Using implants to anchor your dentures can eliminate worn spots, rocking and shifting of your denture, and accommodate confident speaking. Using bar retainers or individual locators, your prosthesis snaps in place over the implant abutments, locking it in place throughout the day. In the evening, you can remove your “plate” for easy cleaning and maintenance.
Even your existing denture can be retrofitted to snap over new dental implants, when adhesives or pastes can’t deliver the stability that you need. One of our patients came to Dr. Steve after seeing several other dentists, because her denture was so old that replacement parts were no longer available. We were able to retrofit her prosthesis to fit over implants so that she didn’t need to turn around and pay for a new appliance altogether. She was thrilled with the results!
What to Expect
Between your surgical implant placement and delivering your fixed prosthesis, you can expect to wait a short period of time while the new bone develops and soft tissues heal. Dr. Steve can sometimes place restorations as quickly as two to three weeks after your surgery.
Are you struggling with changes in your smile caused by missing teeth? If you’re tired of wearing a removable partial or don’t want to grind down your teeth to be fitted with a traditional bridge, dental implants offer a far superior alternative. They’ll look and feel better than any other type of prosthesis in modern dentistry!
Ask us about our convenient financing plans and find out if dental implants are right for you. Call Dr. Steve today to find out why so many have entrusted us with their smiles for more than 30 years!
If you’re looking for a full smile makeover, visit our Full Mouth Reconstruction page.
