ARE YOUR MISSING OR FAILING TEETH AN EVERYDAY PROBLEM?
The most important reason to replace your missing or failing teeth is because your life is not the same without them. Dental implants are the only successfully proven treatment that permanently solves missing or failing teeth.
Call or request an implant consultation with Dr. Pessoa and our Draper Smiles’ team and come see your dental implant options.
It is now your turn to smile!!
INFORMATION ON DENTAL IMPLANTS
DENTAL IMPLANTS REPLACE FAILING AND/OR MISSING TEETH
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​With the highest success rate of any tooth-replacement option (including dental bridges and removable partial dentures) and a track record spanning over 30 years, dental implants are the best long-term solution to missing teeth. When well maintained by the patient, dental implants can last the rest of your life — that’s what makes them such a good value as opposed to other dental treatment options.
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DENTAL IMPLANTS: THE BEST PERMANENT SOLUTION FOR MISSING OR FAILING TEETH.
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Dr. Fernando Pessoa at Draper Smiles has gone through extensive training that can solve several conditions with a variety of implant treatment options that are available today.
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​Dental implants are the most significant dental innovation of this generation. The medical-grade titanium from which they’re made actually fuses to living bone, resulting in teeth that feel completely natural. Moreover, implants actually help preserve your jawbone, which can become vulnerable to shrinkage over time once teeth are lost unlike dentures or alternative products. This means you can get back to smiling and being yourself again.
WHY DENTAL IMPLANTS?
EARLY AGING
When you lose a tooth, the bone that used to surround it disappears over time. The longer the tooth is missing, the greater the loss. As bone loses width and height, your gum tissue also gradually decreases, causing the distance from the nose to chin to shrink with it and prematurely aging the face. Dental implants are the only treatment for missing or failing teeth that can cease this process and permanently stop bone loss due to lack of use in the area where the teeth were missing.
JAWBONE WEAR
When you lose a tooth, whether from disease or extraction, the lack of stimulation that tooth provides causes the supporting bone in the jaw to dissolve – a process called resorption. The longer the tooth is missing, the more bone loss can occur. One of the most remarkable things about dental implants is that they prevent deterioration. The post fuses with the jawbone, stimulating it so it maintains its size.
COMPROMISED AND UNHEALTHY EATING
Aside from the physical consequences of missing teeth, there’s also the risk of malnutrition. As you lose teeth, it becomes more difficult to eat and effectively chew food such as raw fruits, vegetables, and meats. These foods usually become the most difficult to chew if you are missing teeth.
DENTAL IMPLANTS TREATMENT OPTIONS
THE FIXED FULL DENTAL ARCH SOLUTION
The All-On-Four (or All-on-5 or 6 or 7, etc) procedure is designed to permanently replace all of your teeth on a single arch, using eight to twelve total posts for replacement of both the upper and lower arch. This solution allows us to replace the entire arch with teeth secured in place. Imagine no lose dentures, no spaces between the teeth. Imagine having renewed confidence smiling, talking, and chewing again.
THE MULTIPLE DENTAL IMPLANTS
Multiple and Individual Single Implant Teeth or Multiple and
Separate Implant Bridges
Multiple implant treatment is an ideal option for candidates who are in the beginning stages of failing teeth. Even with good dental care, many older patients face the loss of multiple teeth as they age. Having many missing teeth is not only a problem for how you look and feel, but can also be detrimental to your health. Replacing these teeth is critical to maintaining the rest of your oral health. It is important to note that while it may appear that there are only a few missing teeth, depending on the condition of your jawbone, the Fixed Dental Arch treatment may be necessary. This is because bone deterioration can happen under the gum, and may not even be noticeable.
SINGLE COSMETIC DENTAL IMPLANT
If you have lost a single tooth due to an accident, from periodontal disease or genetically missing, that one tooth could be easily replaced using a dental implant. To replace a single tooth, a dental implant is inserted into the site where the tooth is missing. The dental implant serves as a replacement for the root of the missing tooth. A small post called an abutment is then connected to the implant, and a replacement tooth is cemented or screwed on top of the abutment. Your new tooth will look and function just like your other natural teeth.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING YOUR FIRST
IMPLANT CONSULTATION:
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION INCLUDING A 3D CONE BEAM SCAN
Dr. Pessoa will take a 3-D scan of your mouth and jaws right at his office (no need to go anywhere else). This scan will produce a sophisticated three-dimensional and cross-sectional image X-ray of exactly what’s going on with your teeth, gums, and jawbones. With this information, a specific plan can be create knowing exactly what to expect during your implant treatment before we even begin. The dental implant or implants may even be able to be placed virtually in the computer to ensure greater success before the procedure is done in reality.
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Making a dental implant look identical to a natural tooth in a area of the mouth that is visible when you smile and talk is one of the most technical and challenging areas of implant dentistry. Fortunately for you, Dr. Fernando Pessoa, your Utah implant dentist, has a passion for cosmetic and implant dentistry and has taken thousand of continuing education hours along with his own experience to understand the technical and biological concepts that makes it more predictable to have a dental implant look and feel like any other tooth in your mouth.
DENTAL IMPLANT TREATMENT PLAN
When it comes to investing in your mouth and your smile, we encourage you to do your research. Soon you will find out that is really important in trusting the office where you can make this type of long term investment in your health and smile. Understanding the process is just as important. Here is a little summary of the process:
1It all begins on your first visit to Draper Smiles, where you’ll receive a complimentary consultation, including a FREE 3-D CAT scan.
This new technology is able to show to us your bone, tooth and tissue structure in height, width and depth. This critical information enables us to create a detailed plan even before we start (no surprises later). We are also able to give you a detailed sequence of appointments for the entire tooth replacement procedure; with every visit and treatment included (again… No surprises!).
Whenever you are ready, we schedule a complete dental exam where we access your mouth and take some photos and models of your mouth. We also reserve time just for you to answer any other questions you may have about the dental implant process. After all questions have been addressed, the next time is the actual implant surgery appointment. This usually happens within 2-3 weeks after the comprehensive examination. In case you are wearing dentures, you may be able to try-in the teeth before they are made final.The implant surgery appointment may be done under local anesthesia, laughing gas or even under IV sedation (sleep dentistry). You get to choose the option that works best for your comfort.​After the surgical procedure is done, your provisional teeth will be fit in to the implants and/or to your mouth. You always leave the office with teeth in!​After-Implant Placement Appointment:We will follow up with you at the office 7-10 days, 6 weeks and 3 months after the implant procedure to ensure is going according to plan. At about 4-6 months after your procedure, we’ll schedule an appointment to have your final new tooth/teeth placed. By then, your gums will be completely healed and the implants fully integrated into your jawbone. Your permanent replacement teeth are made with an invisible titanium support structure, which gives them the durability to last a lifetime. They will be adjusted to fit perfectly (and permanently) on your healed gums. If your new teeth ever need repair or readjustment, you can come back to Draper Smiles.
ONE DOCTOR, ONE FIXED COST
Having one doctor performing all the procedures lets us expedite your treatment without compromising the quality of your care. No short cuts! It is just more efficient and less costly because you are not going to several places to get the same treatment done.
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Dr. Pessoa will be able to develop a specific treatment for you. Because of the 3D CAT scan images acquired during your first exam, he will also be able to provide you with an up-front, all-inclusive fixed cost (no surprises later). This way you’ll fully understand the investment you’re about to make before you start.
For more information on IMPLANT DENTISTRY please visit our FAQ page
