Dental Implants – State College, PA

What are Dental Implants?

A dental implant is actually made up of three parts:

• A titanium post that is inserted into the jawbone via a surgical procedure
• A metal abutment fixture that fastens on top of the implant
• A custom-made restoration (dental crown, bridge, or denture) designed to mimic the appearance of your original teeth

Dental implants are the only tooth replacement that can rebuild the entire structure of a lost tooth. As a result, they end up looking and feeling more like natural teeth than any other solution currently available. That’s why Dr. Labosky usually recommends dental implants for our patients with missing teeth.

The Dental Implant Process

If you’re considering dental implant-supported tooth replacement, you should know that the process is complex and can include multiple phases. The entire treatment can take several months, but the end results could potentially last for decades, making dental implants well worth the time for many patients. Dr. Labosky will be able to come up with a more detailed and personalized treatment plan at your consultation, but the four basic steps of the dental implant process are as follows.

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

To get started with your tooth replacement journey, you’ll visit us for a dental implant consultation appointment. We’ll examine your smile, review your health history, and discuss any past experiences with surgery and anesthesia. We may also need to perform one or more preparatory procedures – such as tooth extractions, gum disease therapy, or bone grafting – to ensure your mouth is ready to accommodate the implants.

Dental Implant Surgery

For the surgical placement of your implants, Dr. Labosky will refer you to one of his trusted specialists in the State College area. That way, you can trust that you’ll be receiving the highest quality of care possible.

After numbing your mouth, the oral surgeon will make a small incision in the gum tissue. Then, the implant post is positioned into the jawbone. A cap is attached to the implant to protect the surgical site as it heals while also preserving the shape of the gum tissue until the replacement tooth is attached.

Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment

After implant posts are placed, it can take several months (usually three to six) for the implant to fuse with the supportive bone and gum tissues. This process is called osseointegration. Once the osseointegration process is complete, we attach the abutment, which anchors the replacement tooth to the implant post.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

After the abutments are placed, we capture impressions of your prepared smile that will be used to design and craft your dental crown, bridge, or denture. Our dental lab uses the bite impressions, X-rays, and our smile design to custom craft your replacement tooth or teeth. Once this final restoration is received from the lab, you’ll return for your final visit with our team, so we can affix the replacement tooth or teeth to your dental implant posts, giving you back your picture-perfect smile.

Benefits of Dental Implants

Before you begin your dental implant tooth replacement plan, you may be wondering whether or not this complex treatment is worth the lengthy restoration process. We truly consider implant prosthetics to be the gold standard in tooth replacement. Some of the many benefits that make these treatment options so effective include:

Day-to-Day Benefits

• Improved Stability – If you’re tired of dealing with a denture that is constantly becoming loose and shifting out of place, you’ll love dental implants. They are incredibly secure, ensuring you won’t have to worry about your tooth replacement giving you issues. No longer do you need to worry about your teeth falling out when performing basic tasks.
• Comfort – Dental implants replace the missing tooth roots, mimicking the natural structure and function of your lost teeth. This guarantees your comfort and avoids unnecessary pressure on and damage to surrounding oral structures.
• Confidence – Once your dental implants are placed, you can expect to speak and smile with total confidence in just about any situation. This is especially the case if you intend on replacing teeth with either an implant bridge or implant denture.
• Easy At-Home Oral Care – Caring for your dental implants feels almost indistinguishable from your natural teeth. Simply brush twice a day and floss daily to keep your tooth replacement clean and free of plaque and bacteria.

Health Benefits

• Enjoy Your Favorite Foods – Traditional dentures only give you back about 20% of your chewing ability. That means you can’t eat as many tough or chewy foods. Dental implants function much more closely to natural teeth, allowing you to consume all of your favorite foods like steak, apples, nuts, and vegetables!
• Better Nutrition – The key to a healthy life is a healthy diet, and dental implants are prepared to keep up with your active lifestyle. Getting your daily dose of nutrients on a regular basis is substantially easier when tooth loss isn’t holding you back.
• Prevent Future Tooth Loss – The moment a tooth is lost, your risk for losing additional teeth only goes up dramatically. This is due to the bone tissue inside the jaw deteriorating, causing a breakdown of the foundation teeth rely on. The prosthetic roots of dental implants work to stimulate jawbone tissue as you chew, preventing the bone from atrophying.

Long-Term Benefits

• Long-Lasting – Implant restorations can last for three decades or longer compared with traditional restoration options that need to be replaced every ten years. This also makes them a more cost-effective solution for replacing teeth.
• Keep Natural Teeth in Place – A common side effect of tooth loss is remaining teeth tend to shift out of place in order to compensate for the newly created gaps. Placing dental implants ensures that your existing teeth stay where they are and keep the bite even.
• High Success Rate – When placed by a professional, dental implants hold a very high success rate. In fact, their average success rate generally falls between 95% and 98%, making them extremely reliable.

Who Dental Implants Can Help

The number of dental implants and the type of restoration we recommend will depend on your unique situation, specifically the number and location of your missing teeth. While every case is unique, we will typically recommend the following:

Missing Single Tooth

To replace just one tooth, we’ll use an individual dental implant post positioned to replace the lost tooth roots. Then, a custom crafted, tooth-colored dental crown will be permanently affixed to the dental implant, leaving you with a flawless smile.

Missing Multiple Teeth

For several consecutive teeth, an implant-supported fixed bridge will be used. Two implant posts will be positioned. Then, a row of replacement teeth will be anchored to the implant posts, one at each end. For both consecutive and nonconsecutive teeth, we’ll utilize an implant supported partial. Based on the number of missing teeth, we may need two to four dental implants to provide support for the partial denture.

Missing All of Your Teeth

If you are fully edentulous (without teeth), we can offer three implant-supported treatment options. Traditional implant dentures look much like removable dentures, but they are supported by four to six dental implant posts. These implant dentures are available in both fixed and removable options, depending on your specific needs. We also offer All-on-4 dentures. This innovative treatment option uses four uniquely positioned implants to replace missing teeth by maximizing the naturally denser portions of the jawbone.

Learn More About All-on-4 Dental Implants

Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants

The cost of dental implants is one of the many factors that can influence a patient’s decision to replace their lost teeth. Every dental implant tooth replacement plan is unique to the patient, and the cost will vary based on a number of factors. In order to provide an accurate estimate of the out-of-pocket costs of your dental implant plan, we’ll need to review your individual case during a consultation.