Dental Implants

At the time Dr. Cline was earning awards in college for studying periodontics and prosthodontics in the mid-1990s, innovations in tooth restoration were rapidly going mainstream in dentistry. Among the most exciting of these developments was the widespread adaptation of endosteal implants. Prosthodontics, the manufacturing of artificial teeth, had previously focused on dentures and bridgework, but implants allowed dentists to construct full replacements for individual teeth.

The crown of the tooth is the part above the gum line, which is what people see and use for chewing. Prosthodontics originated as a way of providing patients with new crowns after teeth had to be extracted due to decay or were destroyed by injuries. Many patients benefited from this approach and still do, but the root of a tooth serves a function beyond holding the crown in place. Roots help to provide the jawbone’s structure, and in their absence, the jawbone dissolves, potentially weakening other teeth.

Implants are posts or screws made of titanium, or occasionally ceramic, which are inserted into a patient’s jaw so that they may fuse with the bone tissue. This requires some healthy bone tissue to already be present, and if there isn’t, Dr. Cline may consider a bone graft to provide some. It will take three to six months for the implant to integrate fully into the jaw bone, but after it does, Dr. Cline will screw an abutment on top, which will link the implant to a new crown.

Implants not only look and bite like normal teeth, they also stabilize the jaw bone, which, in turn, provides the shape of the patient’s face. It is possible to install more than one implant at once, and there are other implant variations which can be used to stabilize dentures. Implants are cared for with the same brushing and flossing as normal teeth and are a long-term solution.

Matthew P. Cline, DDS practices at Cline Dental Group at 14560 Manchester Road, Suite 25, Ballwin, Missouri, 63011. To schedule an appointment, call 636-230-8081 or visit ClineDentalGroup.com and fill out a contact form.