Dental Implants

Dental implants restore tooth appearance and function long term, so they’re changing the way many people live for the better. At the office of Sabrina E. Mickel, DDS, Dr. Mickel and her leading restorative dentistry team provide custom dental implant crowns in their Beachwood, Ohio, office. Call the office or use the online booking feature to make your appointment today.

What are dental implants?

Dental implants can give your smile back. If you’re missing a tooth, a dental implant serves as a replacement tooth root. Then, a crown attaches to the dental implant to give you a new tooth that looks and functions just as well as any other healthy tooth.

What are the parts of a dental implant?

A dental implant is a titanium screw, which your prosthodontist surgically implants in your jaw bone. Just as your jaw bone once held your tooth roots, it now holds the dental implant. 

An abutment fits onto the dental implant, screwing into its top. The abutment has a threaded opening. A custom-made porcelain dental crown (your replacement tooth) screws into the abutment, which keeps it secure and stable.

When might I need dental implants?

You might need a dental implant if you’ve lost a natural tooth due to an accident or tooth extraction. Leaving a gap in your mouth is never the best choice because it makes it harder to chew and speak normally. 

When you lose a tooth, you also lose bone structure underneath it, which can compromise the security of the rest of your teeth and change your facial contours, creating sunken cheeks. A gap can also allow your other teeth to shift out of position. 

A dental implant can give you the next best thing to your own tooth, and it’s functionally and cosmetically identical to your natural tooth. 

Are dentures a good alternative to dental implants? 

Full or partial dentures replace missing teeth but don’t replace the tooth roots. So, with dentures, it’s normal to experience some jaw bone loss. 

A hybrid option, implant-retained dentures, includes strategically placed dental implants (generally, on the molars and in the middle of the mouth) along with an entire row of replacement teeth. The implants are strong enough to hold the group of replacement teeth in place, offering complete smile restoration without jaw bone loss. 

The experienced team at Sabrina E. Mickel, DDS, offers personalized solutions for complete smile restoration. To learn more about dental implants and how they can restore your smile, call the office or book an appointment online today.