When you get a cavity, your dentist can usually repair it with a simple filling. In more severe cases, a root canal may be in order. But what happens when even the root of a tooth can’t be saved? How do dentists replace teeth that are missing altogether? That’s where implants come in! A dental implant is a replacement root that we can use to place a restoration such as a crown or bridge to restore your strong bite and confident smile.

Why Get a Dental Implant?

If you come see us at Brooklyn Dental Collective and have one of the following concerns, you may be a candidate for a dental implant:

• Missing tooth
• Tooth damaged or broken down to the root
• Tooth that needs to be extracted

When you come in for an exam, we’ll let you know what all of your options are and help you make a choice that’s right for you!

What are Dental Implants Made Of?

Our dental implants are made of a specialized titanium alloy. Titanium is an ideal material for dental implants because it: 

• Offers durability and can last for many years.
• Is low density and lightweight.
• Is biocompatible, or “gets along” well with nearly all human bodies.
• Allows for just enough “micro-movement” to facilitate good integration with bone.

We love titanium implants because titanium boasts the highest strength-to-weight ratio of all the metals. This is the same reason it’s such a great material for bicycle frames and aircraft!

Dental Implant Procedure Steps

We’d like to fill you in a little about the process of replacing a tooth with an implant because it is typically a two- to three-step process (depending upon whether you need an extraction). The steps are spread out over time to allow proper healing at each stage and ensure the implant’s stability.

• Consultation / exam: The first thing we’ll do is get a detailed look at your mouth, including a CBCT scan. A CBCT scan is a little bit like an x-ray, except that it provides us with a three-dimensional view of your bones and teeth as well as musculature and other soft tissue. Knowing the exact location and dimensions of everything in your mouth helps us place your implant precisely.
• Extraction, if necessary: Many implant patients come to us with a perfect space for their new tooth already open (aka, the tooth is missing). If the tooth in question isn’t already out of the picture, we’ll need to extract it. 
• Bone graft, if needed: Some lucky patients will require a bone graft if there’s any bone loss in the area. This is so that the implant has a nice, sturdy foundation; and it’s more likely to be indicated if the tooth has been missing for a number of years or there are other missing teeth nearby.
• Healing stage: If you’ve had an extraction or bone graft, we will allow a few months for it to properly heal before we place your implant.
• Implant placement: In a relatively quick and straightforward procedure, the oral surgeon will place the implant into your jaw.
• Healing stage: Now, we’ll wait another few months before placing your restoration. During this time, through a process called osseointegration, your bone will fuse with the implant, making it essentially part of your body!
• Restoration: Finally, we’ll place an abutment (the part that connects the restoration to the implant) and the restoration. This is in most cases a dental crown that looks just like your natural teeth, or in rarer cases, it may be an equally natural-looking implant-supported bridge if, for example, two or more adjacent teeth are missing.

Brooklyn Dental Collective patients are so lucky because they can have all of these procedures handled expertly in the comfort of their own dentist’s office. The advantage of this cannot be understated. Aside from the convenience of not having to travel across town to a periodontal or oral surgery practice, you get the benefit of a dentist and specialist who are regularly in direct communication about your treatment plan. Continuity of care is great!

Are Dental Implants Painful?

A common question! Receiving a dental implant is typically a lot less painful than an extraction. In fact, it’s sometimes even easier than getting a filling. Implants have a reputation as being the big, bad mother of dental procedures, but we want everyone to know that getting an implant is not too bad! We also offer a few comfort features:

• Of course you’ll get plenty of local anesthesia for a pain-free procedure. 
• There’s a TV on the ceiling in the treatment room with streaming services, so you can catch the next episode of your current Netflix obsession to distract your mind. 
• Or if you’re super nervous, don’t worry. We’ve got something stronger than Netflix. Nitrous oxide can help even the most unsettled patients get through intimidating dental stuff. 

In short, you can relax–we’ll take great care of you!

Tooth Implant vs Dental Bridge: The Alternative

A less extensive and less permanent alternative to an implant is a bridge. This is not to say that bridges don’t last a long time–they often do! But the stability of an implant can’t be beat. A typical dental bridge, instead of being anchored to a titanium prosthesis surgically implanted into the bone, is fixed to the two teeth on either side of it. 

As with anything at Brooklyn Dental Collective, we will help you make the right choice for you by educating you and answering any questions you may have. In very simple terms, putting aside any special circumstances, an implant is a superior choice for three primary reasons:

• It’s stronger and less likely to fail. 
• It doesn’t require us to take structure away from other teeth. Conventional bridges, however, must be anchored to the neighboring teeth with crowns, so we will have to “prep” those other teeth, which means removing the top portion so that a crown can be attached.
• Implants are the best option for bone-loss prevention. Jawbone that isn’t properly stimulated by direct pressure from a corresponding tooth will eventually be resorbed into the body. As bone resorbs, surrounding teeth can begin to fail, most significantly the ones supporting the bridge.

Who Does Dental Implants Near Me?

We do, of course! Brooklyn Dental Collective is your neighborhood one-stop practice for the entire implant process, from diagnosis to your renewed and confident smile. Book an appointment today to learn more about how we can help you get there!

Dr. Stephanie Sager — Your dentist with heart,
in the heart of Williamsburg!