Dental Implants

When a tooth is extracted or lost through trauma, a gap is left where the tooth once stood.

Options to close the gap include: dentures, crown and bridge or an implant. If gaps are left in the mouth, teeth gradually “drift” and “tilt” into the gap, causing interferences or misalignment of the bite. This can lead to uneven wear, grinding habits, and discomfort.

Implants can be singular tooth additions that are bonded to a metal screw or abutment that is interlocked to the underlying bone. They can also be used for bridges and dentures. Implants are strong, durable, and approximate a real tooth.

An implant is not a single-visit result and can take a few months to finish completely.

Dr. Frank Hartley will need to first diagnose your eligibility for an implant based on bone height and density. If Dr. Hartley gives you the green light, the first step is to insert the implant into the jaw bone where the gap is. Over the course of a few months, the bone will regrow tightly around the implant, creating a stable hold.

An abutment is attached to the implant which is the holding ground for the final crown to go on top of. A crown is fabricated at a laboratory to your specific dimensions and given back to us to finally cement to the abutment, giving you the tooth the fill the gap.