Candidacy for Dental Implants
In general, most people who are healthy enough to undergo a dental procedure such as a filling placement or root canal therapy are good candidates for dental implants. You must have healthy teeth and gums, so any cavities or signs of periodontal disease must be addressed first. Tell us if you have any chronic health conditions or are taking medications. These factors will not necessarily prevent you from receiving implants, but we may need to take certain precautions during the procedure to ensure its success. You also need to have a sufficient amount of dense bone tissue to support an implant. However, if you have suffered bone loss, which is common after tooth loss, a bone grafting procedure can help rebuild the tissues.
Placing dental implants is a three-step procedure:
- Tooth extraction: At some point in your life a tooth is lost due to a fracture or abscess or decay. After the tooth is extracted, a bone graft is placed in the void space where the tooth used to be. After the graft bonds with your surrounding bone, you would proceed to the next phase.
- Implant Placement: This part of the process usually only requires local anesthesia, but we can administer something a bit stronger if you feel anxious. Once you are comfortable, our implant specialist will create an opening in the gum tissues at the site of the missing tooth and then insert the small titanium rod into the jawbone. Then we will close the gum tissues with a few sutures. The gums will heal in about a week, but you must wait several months for osseointegration of the implant to take place. You may be fitted with a temporary tooth restoration to wear while you are waiting.
- Placing Restorations: When your implants are ready for permanent restorations, our prosthodontist will take impressions of your mouth to create replacement teeth that blends well with your natural teeth. You will then return to have your restorations permanently affixed to your implant abutments.
We take a team approach and perform all of the procedure in our Sandy Springs office.
ZoAnna Scheinfeld, MS, DMD – Implant Specialist
Novy Scheinfeld, DDS – Prosthodontist
290 Carpenter Drive, 200A
Atlanta, GA 30328
404-256-3620
the right smile 