Natural teeth are the best teeth, but dental implants are the next best thing. Since a dental implant replaces an entire missing tooth- including the root- it looks, acts, and functions just like a natural tooth.
A significant benefit of dental implants is that they help prevent jawbone loss that commonly occurs when you lose a tooth. Strong, healthy bone in your jaw not only helps keep surrounding teeth stable but also prevents a sunken-in or aged facial appearance.
Dr. Unti can complete the entire dental implant process, from the placement of the implant post to final restoration with a crown, bridge, or denture.
Planning Your Dental Implant Procedure
Dr. Unti first needs to determine the ideal location and depth at which to place the implant in your jaw. To do this, he utilizes leading-edge 3-D imaging software that shows him the optimal position in which to place your implant. Based on this information, a surgical guide is fabricated that will assist Dr. Unti in the optimal placement of your implant.
Placing Your Dental Implant
Getting a dental implant at our Palatine dental office is an easier process than you might think. The first step is to numb your mouth so you won’t feel any pain. The entire implant placement process takes about an hour, and our patients report minimal discomfort afterward.
If it’s necessary for us to remove hopelessly decayed or damaged teeth, or to extract some teeth in preparation for implant dentures, we may be able to complete the extraction and implant placement the same day.
When the entire arch (upper or lower) is compromised, a technique called All-on-Four or All-on-Six can be used to replace ALL the teeth of that arch with just 4 or 6 implants.
Bone Grafting Procedure
Some people don’t have sufficient dense jawbone into which we can place an implant, but there’s still hope. Bone grafting is a procedure that uses bone taken from an animal, bone via donor, or a bone substitute for regenerating jawbone growth.
Following your procedure, Dr. Unti will provide after-care instructions to promote easy healing. He will also schedule follow-up appointments to make sure healing is progressing normally.