Dental Implants Specialist

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are artificial tooth roots. They’re small titanium posts your dentist places into your jaw during an outpatient procedure. Following placement, the posts integrate with your bone, providing a sturdy and supportive foundation for restorations like crowns, bridges, or implant-retained dentures.

Who qualifies for dental implants?

To get dental implants, you need to have healthy gums and enough bone to support them. If your North Hawaii Dental LLC provider determines you have periodontal disease or low bone volume, they might recommend scaling and root planing or a bone graft first.

During your initial appointment, let your provider know if you have a chronic health problem like diabetes or kidney disease. These issues won’t prevent you from getting implants, but they may increase the risk of complications, so it’s important they’re well-managed.

What does getting dental implants involve?

At North Hawaii Dental LLC, getting dental implants takes several appointments spaced over several months to a year.

First appointment

Before prescribing dental implants, your provider conducts an oral exam and takes digital X-rays. They evaluate your X-rays to determine the health and volume of your gums and jawbone.

If they determine you’re a candidate for implants, your provider administers a local anesthetic. Then, they place a series of titanium posts into your jaw. Following the placement procedure, your provider sends you home with care instructions.

Second appointment

Several months later, after the dental implants fuse with your jaw, you return to North Hawaii Dental LLC. Your provider again administers a local anesthetic and takes impressions of your mouth. They send your impressions to a dental laboratory that uses them to design and manufacture a custom restoration, such as a crown, a bridge, or implant-retained overdentures.

Third appointment

When the laboratory completes your custom restoration, you visit North Hawaii Dental LLC for the final time. Your provider numbs your mouth, lines up your new restoration with the dental implant, and bonds it in place. Afterward, they polish your teeth and provide aftercare instructions.

How long do dental implants last?

If you practice good oral hygiene and visit the dentist every six months, dental implants often last a lifetime. To extend the lifespan of your dental implants, North Hawaii Dental LLC recommends brushing and flossing twice daily and visiting the office every six months for an oral exam and professional teeth cleaning.

To see if you qualify for dental implants, make an appointment at North Hawaii Dental LLC by calling the office or using the online booking tool today.