Dental Hygienist Smiling Showing Dental Implants

When You Might Want To Consider Implants

Dr. Kim Tan

Dr. Kim Tan

Do you have missing, damaged, or deteriorating teeth? This can cause self-consciousness in social situations, causing you to hide your smile.
Over time, missing teeth can also change your facial appearance due to jaw shrinkage, as well as alter the way you speak. You might even avoid eating certain foods because they are difficult to chew, resulting in a decreased quality of life.

The solution? Consider implants.

What Are Implants?

An implant is an artificial root made of titanium. When surgically placed, it fuses with the jawbone and connects the crown, or artificial tooth, to your jawbone.

Implants can replace one tooth through an individual crown or multiple teeth through a bridge or dentures. Note that our office does not place the screw portion on the implant. We only do the crown portion.

Unlike removable dentures, implants look, feel, and behave like your natural teeth.

Are Implants Safe?

Humans have been using dental implants for thousands of years with materials that included animal bones and shells. Later, dentists used human teeth from cadavers.

Modern scientific breakthroughs have created safer, longer-lasting dental restorations. The first titanium implant made its appearance more than 50 years ago when it was used on a volunteer in 1965. While there is some risk, it is low.

Benefits of Implants

Dental implants improve your health by preserving the bone while also stimulating bone growth. By increasing jaw stability, they lessen the likelihood of problems with other teeth.

At the same time, implants stop bone loss and gum recession and bring chewing and speech back to normal.

When you are able to chew and digest food properly, you can more easily absorb nutrients from food. According to the Canadian Dental Association (CDA), good nutrition is one of the five steps to maintaining oral health.

What to Expect

First, you’ll need to schedule an initial consultation so that we can determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants. After a comprehensive exam, including X-Rays, we’ll discuss options with you. If you are a good candidate and want to move forward, we’ll develop an individualized plan.

Depending on how many teeth you need to replace, it could take a few to several months to complete the procedures. On the day of the surgery, you’ll most likely be given a local anesthetic.  Some people may need IV sedation.

After the Surgery

You can expect some discomfort after the procedure, but most people don’t need prescription pain relievers. You should even be able to go back to work the following day.

For the first couple of weeks, you’ll be on a soft-food diet while you heal. After you’ve healed, you can resume activities the way you did when you had all of your natural teeth. 

Your new teeth won’t decay like your regular teeth and so they won’t need fillings, which is one of the benefits.

You’ll still need to see the dentist regularly for checkups that include teeth cleaning. Caring for your dental restorations is also crucial to maintaining the implants and your oral health overall.

Schedule Your Consultation

For more than three decades, our team of dental experts has been providing personalized care to families in the Edmonton community. To find out if you are a good candidate for dental implants, schedule a consultation with our team at Heritage Dental Centre in Edmonton today.

Sign up for an appointment

It just takes a few minutes to book a visit online.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. Privacy | Terms
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Dr. Kim Tan
Dr. Kim Tan
Practicing at Heritage Dental Centre since 2005, Kim is recognized with the Mac George Strelioff Scholarship in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.