Dental Implants

Dental Implants in Ithaca, NY

They should have quality, be affordable and be precisely placed

There are many advantages to dental implants, including:

  • Improved appearance: Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth. And because they are designed to fuse with bone, they become permanent.
  • Improved speech: With poor-fitting dentures, the teeth can slip within the mouth, causing you to mumble or slur your words. Dental implants allow you to speak without the worry that your teeth might slip.
  • Improved comfort: Because they become part of you, implants eliminate the discomfort of removable dentures.
  • Easier eating: Sliding dentures can make chewing difficult. Dental implants function like your own teeth, allowing you to eat your favorite foods with confidence and without pain.
  • Improved self-esteem: Dental implants can give you back your smile, and help you feel better about yourself.
  • Improved oral health: Dental implants don’t require reducing other teeth, as a tooth-supported bridge does. Because nearby teeth are not altered to support the implant, more of your own teeth are left intact, improving your long-term oral health. Individual implants also allow easier access between teeth, improving oral hygiene.
  • Durability: Implants are very durable and will last many years. They require the same care as real teeth, including brushing, flossing, and regular dental check-ups. With good care, many implants last a lifetime.
  • Convenience: Removable dentures are just that; removable. Dental implants eliminate the embarrassing inconvenience of removing your dentures in some cases. In most cases though, they snap into place eliminating the need for messy adhesives to keep your dentures in place.

    • Dental implant surgery is generally less physical than tooth extraction;

      In some cases, there are no stitches and very little post-operative discomfort.

    Cone Beam CT: What is it and why do we order it?

    Some patients require a closer look at the volume and quality of the bone available to place dental implants in the jaws. There are also anatomical considerations such as the sinuses in the upper jaw, and the nerves in the lower jaw. The cone beam imaging takes as long as a panorex (about 10-15 seconds) and has much less radiation than a hospital C.T. It provides a 3-D image of all the areas that we need to look at when planning a more complex dental implant case. It is not routinely used on all implant cases by most surgeons, and is reserved for those cases that warrant it’s use. Ask us about this imaging and if it is appropriate for your case.