Tag: Dental Implants

This patient hoped for a new smile. In order to accomplish this we performed gum surgery to lengthen his teeth. We then placed 5 new crowns to brighten and fill his smile. 

This patient was experiencing pain in and around his upper left bicuspid. Upon examination, the tooth had been cracked and could not be saved. The patient had the tooth extracted and an implant placed.

This patient presented to our office with a bridge along his upper gum line that was being held on by teeth with deep decay. The bridge was removed and the decayed teeth were extracted. An implant bridge was then placed which gave this patient a whole new smile!

Notches along the gum line, called abfractions, are caused by stress at the gum line. This can happen due to repeated grinding and clenching of the jaw. Abfractions are not only a cosmetic defect but can also be uncomfortable for the patient. They can be removed in a fairly simple and quick procedure by your dentist.

In an area where you may be missing many teeth in a row, an implant bridge may be a great way to replace all of those teeth. The implants are surgically placed into the jaw bone so that they can be used as the “supports” for a bridge (porcelain connection) of new teeth. It is important to discuss with your dentist whether or not you are a candidate for implant surgery. In this case, they were missing multiple lower teeth. A few implants were placed and eventually restored with a bridge of teeth that appears natural and functions very well without coming in or out.

When teeth have very large cavities or very larger older fillings, we have to crown (cap) the tooth. This is because we can no longer effectively “stuff” or fill the tooth with filling material and expect it to last a long time. A crown protects the tooth from the outside, taking on the chewing responsibilities and becoming the new shell for the tooth. In this example, this patient had a large cavity with an older filling. The front tooth was crowned and custom-shaded and custom-shaped to match his other natural teeth.

Implants are "biomedical screws" that recreate the root of a tooth so that a crown be placed on them. Implants go into the upper or lower jaw bones. They are permanent and function like normal teeth. It is important to be evaluated by a dentist to determine if you are a candidate for implants. In this case, the patient lost many of their front teeth. In the images, you can see where their implants were surgically placed before teeth were created for them. At the finish, the patient has a very natural looking smile.