Calgary Dental Implants

• There is a significant improvement in the overall quality of life for patients who have implant-supported or retained dentures, as opposed to standard or conventional (free-floating) dentures.
• Implants help maintain or realign facial structure and profile.
• Implants preserve the bone that is otherwise lost when teeth are removed.
• Dental implants are easy to clean and do not decay.
• Implants help to preserve adjacent natural teeth. With an implant-supported crown or bridge, there is no need to cut down adjacent natural teeth to hold a traditional bridge or partial denture in place. Traditional removable partial dentures place stress forces on the remaining natural teeth. Dental implants can eliminate the need to stress adjacent teeth to support a partial denture.
• Implant-supported crowns and bridges have a longer functioning life than conventional crowns and bridges placed over natural tooth structures.
• Implants help to prevent the appearance of premature aging by preventing the bone loss that otherwise occurs after the loss of teeth.
• Patients who wear conventional full dentures often experience difficulty eating, speaking, and smiling. Implant-supported replacement teeth can eliminate embarrassing denture slippage.
• While the initial investment for a dental implant can be greater than that of a conventional bridge, in the long run, implants can be more cost-effective when taking into account the functioning life of the implant compared to a conventional bridge.

Dental implants, composed of a titanium alloy which is considered a bio-compatible and bio-active metal, are used to replace the roots of missing teeth. The bio-compatibility process, known as osseointegration, is vital to many operations such as hip or knee replacement. Precursors to today’s dental implants were developed as early as the 1930s, with modern titanium implant design achieving mainstream success in the 1960s and 1970s.

If you are missing a single tooth, a single dental implant can be used to support a crown for tooth replacement. In cases where there are multiple missing teeth, or where a person has dentures, multiple implants can be placed.

With proper care, good dental hygiene, and a healthy lifestyle, implants can last a lifetime. Over the past 40 years, dental professionals have successfully placed millions of implants. Technology and procedures have advanced significantly since the first implants were introduced, allowing a well-established success rate of up to 98%. This does imply that, at rare times, implants may not be successful. Some reasons for failure can be attributed to an unhealthy lifestyle (smoking), poor dental hygiene, trauma, or infection arising from elsewhere in the mouth. Implants do require brushing, flossing, and regular cleaning appointments with your dentist or dental hygienist.

To learn more about Dental Implants, we invite you to contact our office for a consultation appointment.