Dental Implants

What are dental implants?

Dental implants represent the most advanced and permanent solution for replacing missing teeth, offering a revolutionary way to restore your smile's aesthetics, function, and long-term health. Unlike traditional tooth replacements, dental implants are designed to mimic the natural structure of a tooth, providing unparalleled stability and durability.

To understand what dental implants are, it helps to consider the anatomy of a natural tooth, which has two main parts:

• The Crown: This is the visible portion of your tooth above the gum line, responsible for chewing and aesthetics.
• The Root: Hidden beneath the gum line, the root anchors the tooth firmly into your jawbone, providing stability and stimulating the bone to keep it healthy and strong.

At Advanced Implant & Cosmetic Dentistry in the Flatiron District, New York City, our skilled implant dentists surgically place a small, biocompatible titanium post directly into your jawbone. This dental implant acts as a robust artificial tooth root, providing the essential foundation for your new tooth.

Over a period of time, this titanium implant undergoes a remarkable process called osseointegration, where it fuses directly with your surrounding jawbone. This unique integration creates an incredibly strong, stable, and lasting anchor that functions just like a natural tooth root.

Once fully integrated, the implant is ready to securely support a lifelike dental crown, a custom dental bridge, or even implant-supported dentures, depending on your specific needs. This complete solution not only restores your smile's appearance but also its vital long-term function, allowing you to eat, speak, and smile with renewed confidence and comfort.

Why should I choose dental implants over other options like dentures or bridges?

When considering replacing missing teeth in the Flatiron District, New York City, you have several choices, but dental implants are widely recognized as the gold standard in dental restorations. This is because they offer a superior, more durable, and significantly longer-lasting solution compared to traditional alternatives such as removable dentures or fixed dental bridges.

At Advanced Implant & Cosmetic Dentistry, we empower our patients to make informed decisions by highlighting the unparalleled advantages of dental implants:

• Unmatched Natural Appearance and Feel: Unlike dentures that can slip or bridges that rely on adjacent teeth, a dental implant is surgically anchored into your jawbone, providing a foundation for a custom dental crown that looks, feels, and functions almost identically to a natural tooth. It blends seamlessly with your existing smile, making it virtually undetectable.
• Complete Restoration of Chewing Function: Say goodbye to dietary restrictions! Because implant-supported teeth are as stable as natural teeth, you can confidently bite and chew all your favorite foods – from crunchy apples to tough steaks – without discomfort or worry about your restoration shifting. Traditional removable dentures often provide only a fraction of natural chewing power, and dental bridges can sometimes feel less stable.
• Crucial Prevention of Jawbone Loss: This is a critical advantage. When a tooth is lost, the jawbone beneath it no longer receives stimulation and begins to deteriorate, leading to bone loss. This can cause a sunken facial appearance and further tooth loss over time. Dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that stimulates the jawbone, actively preventing bone loss and helping to maintain your natural facial structure. Neither dentures nor bridges offer this vital bone preservation benefit.
• Independence and Protection for Neighboring Teeth: A traditional dental bridge requires grinding down healthy adjacent teeth to serve as anchors for the bridge. Dental implants, on the other hand, are self-supporting. They are individually anchored in your jaw, leaving your healthy neighboring teeth completely untouched and preserving their natural integrity and strength.
• Exceptional Longevity and Durability: Dental implants are designed for long-term success. With proper oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups, your implant restorations can last for many decades, often for the rest of your life, making them a wise long-term investment in your oral health. This significantly surpasses the typical lifespan of dental bridges (5-15 years) or dentures (5-10 years), which often require more frequent adjustments or replacements.
• No More Slipping or Adhesives: Enjoy unparalleled stability! Implant-supported dentures are securely anchored to implants, eliminating the need for messy adhesives and the common embarrassment of slipping dentures. This provides far greater confidence in speaking, laughing, and eating.

Choosing dental implants means choosing a solution that prioritizes your long-term oral health, comfort, and confidence. Contact Dr. Srivastava and Dr. Castracane at Advanced Implant & Cosmetic Dentistry today to discover if implant dentistry is the right choice for your smile restoration needs in NYC.

What does getting dental implants involve?

Embarking on the journey to dental implants involves a thoughtful, multi-step process designed to ensure the most successful and long-lasting results. While it requires patience, the outcome—a fully restored, confident smile—is truly transformative. At Advanced Implant & Cosmetic Dentistry in the Flatiron District, New York City, our team guides you seamlessly through each phase of your dental implant procedure.

Here's a general overview of what getting dental implants involves:

Step 1: Comprehensive Consultation & Planning Your journey begins with a thorough consultation with Dr. Jyoti Srivastava or Dr. Robert Castracane. We perform a detailed examination of your oral health, discuss your smile goals, and take advanced diagnostic images, including digital X-rays and 3D CT scans. These scans allow us to precisely assess your jawbone density and overall health, identify nerve locations, and plan the optimal placement of your dental implants with extreme precision.

Step 2: Jawbone Preparation (If Needed) For some patients, insufficient jawbone volume or density may require a preliminary procedure like a bone graft. This involves adding bone material to create a strong, stable foundation for the implant. If a bone graft is necessary, a healing period of typically 3-6 months will follow, allowing the new bone to integrate before implant placement can proceed. We will discuss this thoroughly during your consultation.

Step 3: Dental Implant Placement Once your jawbone is optimally prepared, our skilled implant dentists will surgically place the small, biocompatible titanium implant directly into the jawbone. This outpatient procedure is performed with your comfort as our priority, often using local anesthesia. After placement, the implant is gently covered, beginning the crucial healing phase. We can often provide temporary replacement teeth or temporary dentures during this period, ensuring your smile remains intact.

Step 4: Osseointegration & Healing Following implant placement, a vital healing period of approximately 3-6 months begins. During this time, the titanium implant fuses directly with your surrounding jawbone in a remarkable process called osseointegration. This creates an incredibly strong, stable, and natural anchor for your new tooth or teeth. Patient compliance with post-operative care instructions is key for successful integration.

Step 5: Abutment Placement & Final Restoration Once osseointegration is complete and the dental implant is securely bonded to your bone, you'll return for the placement of a small connector piece called an abutment. This abutment will serve as the attachment point for your permanent restoration. Finally, your custom-made, lifelike dental crown, fixed bridge, or implant-supported denture will be securely attached to the implant(s). These restorations are meticulously crafted to match the shade, shape, and size of your natural teeth, ensuring a seamless and beautiful integration into your smile.

The entire dental implant process typically spans between six months to a year, though individual timelines can vary based on your specific needs and whether a bone graft is required. The durable, natural-looking, and functional results are truly designed to last a lifetime, providing you with the ultimate solution for missing teeth.

Ready to begin your smile restoration? Call Advanced Implant & Cosmetic Dentistry today or schedule your personalized consultation online to explore your options for dental implants in NYC.

Am I a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

Many individuals who are missing teeth are excellent candidates for dental implants. While every patient's situation is unique, the general criteria for successful dental implant placement focus on your overall health and the condition of your jaw.

At Advanced Implant & Cosmetic Dentistry in the Flatiron District, New York City, our experienced implant dentists, Dr. Jyoti Srivastava and Dr. Robert Castracane, conduct a thorough, personalized evaluation to determine if dental implants are the ideal tooth replacement solution for your specific needs.

Here are the primary factors we consider when assessing dental implant candidacy:

• Good General Health: The most crucial factor is your overall health. If you are healthy enough to undergo a routine dental extraction, you are likely healthy enough for implant surgery. We will review your medical history to ensure there are no significant contraindications.
• Sufficient Jawbone Density: Dental implants require a strong, adequate foundation of bone for successful osseointegration (the fusion of the implant with your bone). If you have experienced bone loss due to missing teeth or other factors, you may still be a candidate for implants, often with a preliminary bone grafting procedure to build up the necessary bone volume.
• Healthy Gums and Oral Hygiene: Healthy gum tissue, free from active periodontal disease, is essential for the long-term success of your dental implants. A commitment to excellent daily oral hygiene practices (brushing and flossing) and regular dental check-ups is also vital for maintaining your implant's health.
• Commitment to Long-Term Care: While dental implants are incredibly durable and easy to maintain, they require consistent oral hygiene, just like natural teeth, to ensure their longevity.

Common Questions About Candidacy:

• Is age a barrier? Not typically. Age itself is generally not a limiting factor for dental implant eligibility. If you are healthy, you could be a candidate regardless of your age.
• What about smoking or certain medical conditions? Smoking can impact the success rate of implants, and certain chronic conditions (like uncontrolled diabetes or autoimmune diseases) or previous radiation therapy to the head/neck area require careful consideration. We will discuss all these factors with you transparently.

The best way to determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants in NYC is to schedule a comprehensive consultation at our Flatiron office. We will provide a detailed evaluation, answer all your questions, and develop a personalized treatment plan tailored precisely to your unique needs and smile goals.