If you’re missing one, or several, teeth, and are looking for a low-maintenance, long-lasting solution, dental implants in Johnstown may be the right choice for you. Able to restore the look and function of your smile and bite, dental implants can enhance your overall appearance and oral health. Made from durable materials, dental implants can last a lifetime with proper care and are custom-crafted to blend seamlessly with your smile.
First, you’ll visit our office to meet with doctor ralston for a consultation. After a comprehensive exam of your mouth, along with x-rays, doctor ralston can assess your oral health needs and jaw bone density to determine if you’re a good candidate for implants. doctor ralston will discuss their findings with you, and together, you’ll decide if dental implants in Johnstown are the best choice to restore your grin, or if your smile is in need of another restorative option.
Once approved, you will schedule oral surgery with Dr. Ralston, who will provide a detailed treatment plan. To begin the procedure, doctor ralston will create a small incision in the gum line, and place a dental implant into your jaw bone. The implant is a screw-shaped titanium post that bonds directly with your natural bone. doctor ralston will then clean, disinfect, and close the incision so the healing process can begin.
After the implants have been placed, your gums will begin the healing process right away. To heal completely from the initial surgery, it takes most patients less than 2 weeks. However, it takes between 3-6 months for the implant itself to permanently bond with the jaw bone, in a process known as “osseointegration.”
You’ll visit our office several times throughout the healing process to ensure the implant is bonding successfully with your jaw. During the examination, doctor ralston will take impressions of your bite, which will be sent to our trusted dental lab, where they will craft the custom dental prosthetic that will be affixed to your dental implant.
Once we have received your completed dental prosthetic, and your implant has finished bonding with your jaw, you’ll return for your final visit. During this visit, doctor ralston will finish up the procedure by attaching the restoration to your dental implant, permanently securing it with dental cement or another adhesive.
One of the best parts about dental implants in Johnstown is that they don’t require any special care outside of good oral hygiene practices. Be sure to brush at least twice a day, floss daily, and schedule visits to doctor ralston every six months for routine cleanings and exams. With the right oral health habits, your dental implant can last a lifetime.
Unlike natural teeth, dental implants aren’t at risk for tooth decay.
Single tooth implants consist of two primary parts, and are the most-common type of dental implant. The implant itself is a titanium “post” that is shaped like a screw. A dental crown can be made from a variety of materials and is a tooth-shaped “cap” that attaches to the implant post to complete the restoration.
A dentist embeds single-tooth implants into the jaw, where the titanium permanently bonds with the bone. As the site heals, they craft a dental crown and later attach it to the implant post using an abutment.” Crowns mirror the look and function of a natural tooth to blend in seamlessly with the rest of your smile. Made from durable materials, dental crowns can last for decades, while dental implants can last a lifetime. And unlike a partial denture, a single-tooth implant will never move around or shift in your mouth.
For patients who are missing all, or most, of their teeth, full-arch implants offer a durable alternative to traditional dentures that won’t slide around in the mouth. A series of 4-6 dental implants in each arch will secure your prosthetic, providing a lasting, natural-looking smile.
Because the dental implants act like natural roots to support fixed dental bridges or a set of removable implant-supported overdentures, full-arch implants look and feel much more natural than their traditional counterparts. Permanently bonded with your jaw, full-arch implants allow for prosthetics that will never shift or move when you eat or speak.
Implant-retained dentures are one of the most secure solutions available for those looking for a way to permanently replace a full set of missing teeth. A complete set of dentures is affixed to 4 or more implants that have been placed in your jaw. Implant-retained dentures are not removable at home, so patients can brush and clean their smile like they would their own natural teeth.
All-On-4 dental implants are a great solution for patients who have lost all or most of their teeth. In a single visit, a full arch of your teeth can be restored with just 4 dental implants. Not only are All-On-4 implants a more permanent and natural-looking alternative to dentures, they are also a more budget-friendly solution than replacing each tooth individually.
For many patients, dental implants can last a lifetime.
Dental implants in Johnstown consist of two main parts, the implant itself, and the restorative component. The implant is the screw-shaped titanium “post” that is placed directly into the jaw bone. The restoration is most often a custom-crafted prosthetic like a dental crown, and an abutment, which links the restoration and the implant together. Implant posts, on the other hand, come in various pre-made sizes, ensuring every patient gets an implant that fits their grin.
After placing your dental implant, Dr. Ralston will take impressions using putty or digital scans and send them to a lab to craft a durable restoration. Dentists commonly craft restorations from porcelain or durable composite materials. Once we receive your restoration, you’ll return to our office where doctor ralston will secure your dental prosthetic to your implant, completing the restoration.
Properly placed dental implants, maintained with good oral hygiene, can last for decades. In fact, it’s common for patients to keep their implants for the rest of their lives.
Although durable, dental crowns and bridges wear down from chewing and biting and will likely need replacement to maintain oral health.
Although rare, it is possible for dental implants to become infected. Peri-implantitis, an infected dental implant, often results from improper cleaning and care after oral surgery.
The best way to avoid the risk of peri-implantitis is to carefully follow your dentist’s instructions for recovery, and to keep up with good oral hygiene habits, like regular brushing and flossing, once your dental implant has healed.
Yes, and they’re the only dental restoration that does so. After tooth loss, bone resorption occurs when the jaw lacks stimulation from chewing and biting, causing it to weaken.
When a dental implant bonds directly with the jaw bone, it acts as an artificial root in that it effectively transmits the pressure of chewing and biting into your jaw bone, providing stimulation to keep your bone from losing density.
In some cases, dentists can place certain dental implants in a single appointment. However, the restoration will be a temporary prosthetic to keep your bite functional and to protect the implant site until you’ve finished healing from the placement surgery. The temporary restoration ensures that you will be able to eat and speak normally during the healing process.
Healing usually lasts between 3-6 months, and during this time your dentist will schedule a series of follow-up visits. They will monitor your healing and take impressions of your teeth and gums to send to our dental lab. The lab will use these images to custom-craft your permanent restoration, a more durable, natural-looking prosthetic than your temporary one.
Titanium is durable, light, and biocompatible.
