Dental Implants
Wausau, WI

If you are part of the 178 million American adults who are struggling with the ongoing shame and embarrassment of having missing implants, then understandably you have thought about what your replacement options are. Tooth loss can occur for a wide variety of reasons, but you do not have to endure gaps and holes in your smile.

We here at Wanserski Dental Center for Complex Dentistry see many patients who, just like yourself, have sustained tooth loss. When we meet a patient with missing teeth, we like to go over their options with them. Often, they are surprised to learn that they are good candidates for dental implants, a permanent and lasting solution that can restore both their confidence and their smile.

What are Dental Implants?

While dental implants are a newer type of technology, they are growing steadily in popularity and have been the preferred choice for millions of people for many decades. Every year, another half million people choose to get dental implants, giving them back their beautiful smile. What makes dental implants so great?

Unlike other dental prosthesis options, dental implants stay inside your mouth for the rest of your life. That means that you never need to take them out for cleaning or maintenance, and, with a 98 percent success rate, they will not need to be replaced during your lifetime. When you get dental implants, you are getting a permanent replacement for your missing teeth. This stands apart from dentures, which can shift or click in your mouth when you are talking or eating or may accidentally pop out (a very unwelcome surprise!).

Dentures also need to be relined due to the shrinking of your gum tissue, and even if you take good care of them, you will need to replace them every seven to ten years. Dental implants not only will last you your whole life, but they also will not shift or click. They can also prevent gum tissue shrinkage and bone loss, plus they can greatly improve your ability to bite and chew.

Implants Are Safe

While dental implants are a surgical procedure, it is quite safe and routine and can be performed on an outpatient basis using a combination of local anesthetic and intravenous (IV) sedation options. The dental implant is comprised of three major parts: the titanium screw, the abutment, and the restoration. When we place dental implants on our patients, we start by carefully numbing the affected site up before surgically placing a titanium screw underneath the gums, directly into the jawbone.

Once the screw fuses to your bone tissue (a process known as osseointegration) - which can take up to six months - we will then affix the restoration (the crown, or the tooth prosthesis) to a protruding post (which is the component that is called an abutment) which is emerging from your gumline from the titanium screw. In as little as a year, you can have a happy, healthy-looking, and gorgeous smile once more!

Read More

If you have ever considered dental implants and would like to learn more about the process, we would love to answer your questions. To learn more about them, or to set up an appointment with us here at Wanserski Dental Center for Complex Dentistry, please give us a call today at (715) 848-2435!