Visit an Implant Dentist in Boca Raton to Restore Your Smile

As an implant dentist office in Boca Raton, iSmile Dental - Dr. James Helmy is extremely proud to be part of a technological advancement that is changing lives in regard to tooth loss. The reality for too many generations was that tooth loss led to removable dentures with clasps, or fixed bridges crowning teeth at both ends, all of which were used to hold their new fake teeth in place. With the introduction of dental implants, your implant dentist gives you the option to replace the lost tooth with one that looks, feels, and functions exactly like the original. Even more impressively, dental implants replace the lost root of the tooth in addition to the visible surface, known as the crown. For many people, this revolutionary new way of replacing teeth has led to questions.

Important Information

Our patients want to know how long dental implants typically last, the procedures involved in placing a dental implant, and whether or not they are eligible to take advantage of implants. We discuss all of this and more during the initial consultation. For anyone considering dental implants, patients should know that almost anyone can get them. There are a few restrictions that patients should be aware of since dental implantation requires a minor surgical process.

In order to get dental implants, the patient should be healthy enough for oral surgery. There are also a few conditions and habits that preclude one from getting dental implants, something the implant dentist will go over. It is imperative to tell the dentist all of the medical conditions. The patient needs to bring up any medications he or she may be taking (including herbal or other non-traditional medication), and habits, like smoking or consuming alcohol, ahead of time.

The Dental Implant Procedure

Success for an implant dentist is measured in the number of decades the patient successfully uses the dental implant, decades, not just years. Even with more conservative estimates, patients have a very good chance that the prosthetics are permanent. iSmile Dental - Dr. James Helmy carefully prepares the patient for the process, taking every precaution to ensure that there are no issues, like infection, that may cause the implant to fail. While this can be time-consuming, it is necessary for success.

The journey toward having implants will begin with an extremely comprehensive examination to determine the overall health of the mouth. We will use dental imaging like X-rays, photographs and clinical measurements to make sure that the jawbone has enough bone to support an implant.

Bone graft alternative

For many patients, we can proceed directly to the implant stage directly after the exam, which is known as an immediate implant placement. If we discover that the jawbone does not have the amount of bone necessary, one option is to perform an alveolar bone graft, which targets the upper portion of the jawbone inside the mouth. This bone graft can create more jawbone that is sufficient enough to successfully place the implant. Bone grafts require about six months of healing before we can proceed to implant placement.

With our Bicon short implants, less bone is needed and Bicon short implants have an excellent success rate. As a short Bicon implant dentist in Boca Raton, iSmile Dental - Dr. James Helmy can often help patients avoid the expense and delay of a bone graft. If you need a bone graft, ask whether you are a candidate for a Bicon short dental implant. If you are seeking an implant dentist near Boca Raton please call us at (561) 225-2054.