Quality Dental Implants for Port St. Lucie, FL


When it comes to restoring your smile, understanding the different types of tooth replacement options with denture implants is crucial.


Dental implants are permanent fixtures that replace individual missing teeth by surgically implanting titanium posts into the jawbone. These posts serve as artificial tooth roots, providing a strong foundation for attaching custom-made crowns.


In contrast, denture implants involve securing a full or partial denture to the jaw with the help of implant-supported attachments. This method offers increased stability and prevents issues such as slippage commonly associated with traditional dentures.


Choose Us for Dental and Denture Implants


At our clinic, we cater to a wide range of tooth replacement needs using dental implants, whether for single or multiple tooth restorations. A single-tooth implant is the most direct approach, perfect for when you’re missing one tooth, providing a natural-looking replacement that blends seamlessly with your smile.


For multiple teeth, implant-supported bridges offer a sturdy and aesthetically pleasing solution without the need for supporting the neighboring teeth, as traditional bridges do.


For patients missing many or all of their teeth, full arch replacements, also known as implant-supported dentures or all-on-4 implants, provide a complete smile makeover with just a few implant posts, creating a permanent and stable full set of teeth with a natural feel and function.


Our team understands the importance of stability and confidence that implant-supported dentures provide. By choosing us, you can rest assured that we will work closely with you to create a customized treatment plan that addresses your specific concerns and results in a secure and aesthetically pleasing denture solution.


Ultimately, whether you're considering dental implants or denture implants, St. Lucie Center for Cosmetic Dentistry is your trusted partner for achieving a healthy, functional, and radiant smile. Contact us today to schedule a consultation if you are in Port St Lucie, FL. We look forward to restoring your smile.

SINGLE Dental IMPLANTS

Dental implants are designed to provide a foundation for replacement teeth that look, feel, and function like natural teeth. When you have a single tooth implant you can eat normally and smile with confidence, knowing that teeth appear natural.


In addition dental implants will preserve your bone structure of the face which will prevent signs of aging.  When people loose teeth, the bone also tends to reduce or deteriorate which will create the sunken look that is associated with old age and missing teeth.


The implants themselves are tiny titanium posts that are placed into the jawbone where teeth are missing. The bone bonds with the titanium, creating a strong foundation for artificial teeth.

WHAT IS A DENTAL IMPLANT? 

Dental implants are titanium screws with a hollow internal structure. These screws are used to act as a root structure to hold a crown in place of the missing tooth.


Dental Implants are made of three pieces: the implant body, the abutment and the implant crown.  The implant body is the screw, the abutment is the connection piece between the screw and the crown.  The implant crown is the piece of the implant that looks and functions like your natural teeth. 

An image showing the process of dental implants in Port St. Lucie, FL

WHAT IS AN IMPLANT BRIDGE?

An implant bridge is when two adjacent teeth are dental implants and those teeth are used to connect a hanging tooth aka "pontic" in a space in between.  This is typically done when the space is too small to put a third implant and too large to only use two implants. 

WHAT IS A TRADITIONAL DENTAL BRIDGE?

A dental bridge is when two adjacent teeth are used to connect to a hanging tooth "pontic" that will cover the space where the patient is missing a tooth.  Bridges can replace more than one missing tooth and have multiple pontics. The reason the bridge is not ideal is because it relies on the stability and health of the neighboring teeth to function.  Many times one of the teeth holding the bridge will become compromised over time and then the entire bridge needs to be replaced

WHY ARE DENTAL IMPLANTS BETTER THAN BRIDGES?

  • Dental Implants are highly esthetic
  • With a single dental implant you can replace a tooth and not affect the surrounding teeth
  • Bridges also can replace a missing tooth, but a bridge requires the two teeth on either side of your missing tooth or teeth to also receive crowns. If your adjacent teeth do not have cavities then putting crowns over them just to cover the gap of missing tooth does not make sense. 
  • Tooth implants preserve bone
  • Bridges only make sense if the two adjacent teeth have cavities and would benefits from dental crowns. 
  • If the teeth on either side bridge fails then the bridge will need to be redone.  We see this happen a lot which is another reason dental implants are often better option to replace a missing tooth.


Dental bridges may be best option for you if: 

  • Both teeth on either side of your missing tooth need crowns due to decay
  • You are a smoker and dental implants will have high likelihood to fail due to smoking.
  • Implant bridge may be best if you have limited space or too much space 
  • You have limited time to commit to your treatment. 

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET A COMPLETED DENTAL IMPLANT?

A Dental Implant take about 6 months to a year to complete.


The process of getting a dental implant is: 

1) Remove tooth and place bone graft 

Wait 3-4 months to let the bone heal and become integrated.  This is important so that when the implant is placed there is a sturdy surface for implant to hold tightly into.


2) Place implant body 

Wait 3-4 months for implant body to integrate with bone.  This is important so that when the tooth is attached the implant will be stable. 


3) Take impressions for abutment and implant crown

Wait 2-3 weeks for custom parts to be made

 

4) Return for abutment and crown to be place on implant body.  At this point you have a final tooth. 


In some cases patient may already be missing a tooth.  If there is enough bone then implants may be placed right away. 

 

Immediate loaded implants or implant crowns placed on the implant the same day the implant body is placed is a possibility.  However, this procedure is much less predicable because the body does not have time to integrate with the bone or implants to become sturdy.  When we bite, chew, and sleep during the night we put great forces on our teeth and therefore there is high chance of loosening an immediately loaded implant. 

HOW LONG DO IMPLANTS LAST? 

In dental training we are often taught implants have an approximately 10-15 year life span.  But our clinical experiences have taught our dentists that they can definitely last longer if properly maintained.


Smoking, uncontrolled diabetes, poor oral health, & uncontrolled periodontal disease are a few factors that lead implant life space to greatly depreciate. 


ARE THERE DIFFERENT KINDS OF DENTAL IMPLANTS?

Yes, there are many different types. We use one of the best dental implants on the market called Zimmer (BioMet). We also use Zest locator implants for our Overdenture cases.


We offer traditional implants and mini dental implants.  Mini implants are good for patients who don't have enough bone or have enough time for multiple dental visits.


BONE GRAFTING

WHAT IS A BONE GRAFT? HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED A BONE GRAFT?

When a tooth is removed the supporting bone begins to resorb immediately after. The loss of this space is prevented by placing a bone graft in the empty space after an extraction. Bone grafts are considered a standard of practice when extracting teeth and is helpful in restoring the empty space.

A bone graft is used to fill in the empty socket when a tooth is removed. In hopes of replacing that missing space your doctor may recommend a bone graft to preserve that bone. In some cases of wisdom teeth extractions the bone behind the 2nd molars may become compromised depending on the position of the sido me teeth. In these cases your Doctor might also recommend placing some bone to protect the area 

WHERE IS BONE HARVESTED FROM?

Bone graft material is harvested from cadavers and processed and freeze dried, this known as (Allograft). Some material may also be harvested from pig or cow (Xenograft).

WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS TO REPLACE MY MISSING TOOTH? 

  • Partial 
  • Implant 
  • Bridge 
  • Essix retainer

BONE GRAFTING

WHAT IS A BONE GRAFT? HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED A BONE GRAFT?

When a tooth is removed the supporting bone begins to resorb immediately after. The loss of this space is prevented by placing a bone graft in the empty space after an extraction. Bone grafts are considered a standard of practice when extracting teeth and is helpful in restoring the empty space.


A bone grafts is used to fill in the empty socket when a tooth is removed. In hopes of replacing that missing space your doctor may recommend a bone graft to preserve that bone. 

In some cases of wisdom teeth extractions the bone behind the 2nd molars may become compromised depending on the position of the sido me teeth. In these cases your Doctor might also recommend placing some bone to protect the area 


WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS TO REPLACE MY MISSING TOOTH? 

  • Partial 
  • Implant 
  • Bridge 
  • Essix retainer
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