Birmingham, AL Dental Implants
Replacing your lost tooth with a dental implant will give you back the natural look and feel you’ve been missing. Dr. Thomas Dudney at Alabaster Aesthetic Dentistry has advanced training in the restoration of dental implants, so you can rest assured you are receiving the best care available.
Benefits of Dental Implants
A dental implant is a crown that is permanently affixed to the jaw via a surgically-embedded fixture. The fixture acts as a tooth root, which not only gives the crown the stability of an actual tooth but also protects your jawbone. When a tooth is missing, the bone material immediately surrounding it begins to resorb for use elsewhere in the body. Dental implants halt this process by signaling to the body that the bone is still necessary for tooth support. This becomes especially important when the implants are being used to support dentures. Visit our Implant-Supported Dentures page to learn more about their life-changing benefits.
When it comes to aesthetics, dental implants look just as natural as porcelain bridges. But implants are the more conservative option. When a bridge is placed, the teeth on either side of the missing tooth have to be ground down and crowned, even if they are perfectly healthy. A dental implant, on the other hand, is a stand-alone restoration that leaves the surrounding teeth completely intact.
Our Dental Implants
Each dental implant consists of a fixture implanted in the jaw, a crown, and an abutment that connects the two. Our crowns are generally made of zirconia layered with porcelain. The zirconia base provides exceptional strength, while the porcelain gives the crown its aesthetic detail. According to precise design specifications, the zirconia base is coated with porcelain so that the crown reflects light, varies in color, and possesses some translucency — just as your natural teeth do.
About the abutment, we often use custom abutments to connect to the crown. Most dentists, however, use stock abutments. While stock abutments can be acceptable in certain situations, they have some drawbacks. The drawing shows a stock abutment on the left side and a custom abutment on the right side. Notice there is a gap between the gum and the tooth on the left. Food particles can accumulate in that gap, which can contribute to gum inflammation. A custom abutment is also more aesthetic for teeth in the smile zone.
In most cases, we use titanium fixtures and abutments. Zirconia alternatives are also available when completely metal-free restorations are desired.
Our Process
Step 1: Dental Exam
At your initial appointment, we’ll review your medical history to make sure implant surgery is appropriate for you. Once we’ve ruled out any precluding health conditions, we’ll take some x-rays and a CBCT scan. The CBCT scan is a critical step that gives Dr. Dudney a 3-dimensional view of your mouth, jaw, and nasal cavities so that he can determine the correct placement for your implant. Without this information, there is a risk that the implant fixture will impinge on a nerve or perforate the bone.
At this visit, Dr. Dudney will also perform a comprehensive dental exam.
Step 2: Implant Surgery
The next step is surgery to embed the implant fixture in your jawbone. Dr. Dudney will refer you to an oral surgeon specializing in the surgical placement of implants.
Step 3: Crown Placement
After surgery, we’ll wait a few months to allow osseointegration to occur. Osseointegration is the process in which the implant fixture fuses to the bone. Once this is complete, Dr. Dudney will affix your crown and abutment to the embedded fixture, and your missing tooth will be fully and beautifully restored.
If a denture is being placed over the implants, advanced techniques can be used to place your new teeth the same day as the surgery.
Dental Implants For You
When you’re ready to replace your missing tooth with a dental implant, give us a call at (205) 663-6545 to schedule your initial exam. If you prefer, you may request an appointment online, and we’ll call you to get you scheduled.
