Dental Implants
Have you been living with missing teeth for some time? Are you looking for a natural way to achieve a beautiful, complete smile once again? Apple Dental can provide high-quality dental implants to patients in the Lane Cove and Chatswood area, to deliver excellent functional and aesthetic results.
Dental implants are the ideal solution to replace missing teeth, as they look, function, and feel completely natural. Implants are also placed in your jawbone to improve the strength and integrity of your facial structure, ensuring your replacement teeth are in place no matter what you’re doing.
Why Dental Implants?
A dental implant is a small post which is placed in your jawbone to replicate a real tooth root. Over time, the post bonds firmly with the surrounding bone which prevents bone deterioration while providing a strong and secure anchorage point for a new implant tooth. Additionally, dental implant treatment protects your natural teeth because it is unnecessary to reshape teeth, which is the case for a dental bridge, and implant teeth prevent your natural teeth from shifting position.
What material are dental implants made of?
Our dental implants are made of medical-grade titanium, which integrates naturally with your jawbone to form the foundation for other dental devices, such as crowns, bridges, and dentures.
Implants help prevent bone deterioration, loss of facial muscle elasticity, and jaw joint problems caused by a lack of support when you bite. And, of course, filling the gaps left by missing teeth with dental implants is an effective way to fix your broken smile and help restore your mouth’s full function.
What happens during a dental implant procedure?
Before your treatment, in our comfortable practice in Lane Cove your dentist will discuss your dental implant placement, complete a detailed diagnostic phase, and develop the most suitable plan to place your implants in a precise and comfortable manner. Whether you need one or multiple dental implants, our high quality treatment helps you regain your confidence to smile and restore your mouth’s complete function for years to come.
When is Bone Grafting required?
A missing tooth or chronic tooth infection may cause a bony defect, or area where bone has dissolved, limiting your ability to receive a dental implant. In such cases, we may recommend a bone grafting procedure.
Also known as bone augmentation, bone grafting aims to “build up” your bone, to allow us to successfully place your new dental implants.
Performed under local anaesthetic, in your grafting procedure the bony defect is prepared, and the substitute bone is carefully placed to regenerate new bone growth. The bone graft may be covered over with a membrane barrier to protect the site, encourage the growth of new bone, and prevent the formation of fibrous scar tissue. Over time, the bony defect will be reduced as newly formed bone fills in the area.
How long do dental implants last?
The simple answer is that every patient’s results will be different. While studies have shown that implants can have a very long life once integrated with your bone, their longevity may be affected by your overall health, diet, oral hygiene and whether you smoke.
Treatment is Versatile
Implant treatment is extremely versatile and can replace single or multiple teeth, or even complete arches of teeth using implant-supported crowns, bridges and dentures that clip onto the implants. Here at Apple Dental, we provide computer-guided dental implants, so each treatment is planned precisely, ensuring your dental implants are inserted into the optimum positions for restoring functionality and appearance. Also, computer-guided treatment is smoother and more comfortable!
Dental implants are an excellent solution for most people, and you can learn much more during your initial consultation.
Computer Guided Dental Implants
How we use dental technology to makes implant process easier
Frequently asked questions
Essentially an artificial tooth root that is placed into your jawbone, dental implants are made from very strong, biocompatible titanium. After an initial healing period, during which the implant is buried in bone under your gum tissue, it is uncovered and connected to a small metal post that secures and supports a crown, fixed bridge or a full set of dentures.
Dental implants offer you a tooth replacement that’s the closest thing to your natural teeth currently available. More secure than traditional removable dentures, they also allow us to replace a missing tooth without modifying your neighbouring teeth. The Apple Dental team will be happy to discuss all your alternatives for tooth replacement with you.
During your consultation the Apple Dental team will check you have sufficient bone, and enough space in your jaw for your adjacent teeth’s roots to be away from the implant. If you don’t have enough bone, we may recommend growing or grafting bone, either from elsewhere in your mouth or places like your hip.
Depending on where the implant is placed into your jaw, full integration with your bone will take around 4 months for the front lower jaw; around 9 months for the back upper jaw; and around 6 months for sites elsewhere in your mouth. Naturally, if bone needs to be grown or grafting has taken place, your treatment time will increase.
