What Are Dental Implants? 

What to Expect..



The Surgery! 

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The surgical procedure itself has been streamlined and puts very little stress on the patient. There are no nerve endings in bone present in the oral cavity which helps facilitate a smooth, painless surgery. Implant placement is typically less traumatic than having a tooth removed.

Expect your provider to place you on antibiotics, pain medication, antiseptic oral rinse and possible anti-inflammatories. 

Pain and swelling are expected the day of surgery and the day after. Swelling should subside after the second day. A cold compress is recommended on the day of surgery to help minimize swelling. After this day, a warm compress is recommended. To ensure proper healing, keep the area clean and remain on a soft diet.  Monitor the site for an abscess (pimple) formation as this may indicate a problem with healing. 

Bridge or Implant? 


Patients will always ask me if I recommend a bridge or dental implant. First an understanding of both procedures is required. A bridge will require the patient to reduce the adjacent teeth on both sides of the missing tooth. This, sadly, is very difficult for me to justify, given both adjacent teeth are healthy and do not require full coverage crowns. This  will be restored with a one piece restorative unit encompassing three teeth, which is then cemented in permanently. Daily maintainence is also an ordeal.  Since the restoration is connected as one piece, bridges cannot be flossed similar to regular teeth.   Dental implants serve as root replacements. After healing, a tooth is attached to this implant, mimicking the original tooth. Implant teeth are difficult to separate from natural teeth as they are cosmetically similar and they can be flossed normally as well. 


Dental implants are titanium root replacements. They are threaded, surface treated, metal cylinders surgically placed in the bone, underneath the gum tissue. When ready to be restored, an abutment is placed in the implant (root replacement) and then finally a crown is cemented on the abutment.