Dr. Sielicki Explains Dental Implants

So a dental implant would be a replacement for a natural tooth. The most conservative way to replace that tooth and to help maintain bone in that area would be to place a dental implant. The dental implant is typically placed by an periodontist or a oral surgeon. The implant can be made out of titanium or zirconia, depending on the patients, where is it being placed and the aesthetic goals. After the implant is placed, then we put an abutment and a crown on it so it looks and functions just like a natural tooth. I can give you an example from a gentleman that was just in the other day. He called and he was complaining that his crown on his front tooth was loose, and I kind of had some suspicions since I had known that it was a tooth that had prior root canal therapy. And he presented to the office. The crown wasn't just wiggly, where I could take off the crown and recement it on his tooth. The tooth fractured in the crown, and it had fractured so far up underneath the bone there wasn't anything to do a new root canal or do some periodontal surgery and put a new crown on. It was beyond being saved. So I called our periodontal practice that we work with and got him over immediately. They took care of him that day. The tooth was out, and we made him a temporary type of retainer with a tooth in it so he wouldn't be walking around toothless without a front tooth. And he was very thankful that we were able to coordinate and get him in and taken care of right away. Most patients, they're fine. It's, you know, they're anesthetized as if they're having a filling. The process doesn't take that long after the tooth is removed and the implant is placed. So it could be something that can be accomplished in 30 to 45 minutes. Find out if a person is a candidate for an implant, obviously having a good conversation with their dental provider, their dentist, their hygienist if they're coming in through a recall. Assessing how the quality of the bone is, the teeth around that area, and what the goal is for them and their oral health.