Dental Implants in Redmond

benefits of dental implants

Integrated into the jawbone to prevent rapid bone deterioration after tooth loss

Acts as a strong tooth root anchored into your bone by osseointegration

Appear as lifelike as your natural teeth and can be just as easy to maintain

Dental implants have an exceptional success rate at 97% and can last a lifetime

Dental Implants At Redmond Art of Dentistry

Life without a full smile can be daunting, and for many patients the consequences of tooth loss can be debilitating. Missing one or more teeth takes a toll on your self esteem and even the way you’re able to eat or speak becomes a daily challenge. At Redmond Art of Dentistry, Dr. Bickel believes every patient deserves to feel confident and healthy in a smile that is functional, beautiful and strong. With special training in dental implant technology, he offers modern treatments with dental implants to provide strong and natural looking results. Give us a call at (425) 883-1331 to schedule your consultation at your family and cosmetic dentist in Redmond, Bellevue and Sammamish!

What is a Dental Implant?

Dental implants have quickly revolutionized the world of dentistry as the standard of modern tooth replacement. Made up of of small titanium rods carefully placed into the jawbone, dental implants attach to tooth-colored dental crowns for a radiant and natural looking smile.

Dental implants offer many unique advantages over traditional dentures or dental crowns and bridges. They are also the only form of restorative dental treatment to replace both the tooth root and the dental crown, providing a strong structural base much like a natural, healthy tooth. Finally, these personalized dental restorations from our Redmond dental office are matched to look and feel like your natural teeth for a smile you can feel confident in!

Advantages of dental implants over a bridge

Esthetics: Dental implants are as lifelike as your natural teeth. They both look and feel like your tooth was never missing. Because implants are integrated into your bone via osseointegration, you do not lose bone or get gingival recession that is often associated with a dental bridge. Your peers will not be able to tell that your tooth is really an implant
Tooth-saving: By getting a dental implant, there is no need to alter the adjacent teeth in anyway. When you get a bridge, adjacent teeth need a crown on them in order to support the pontic “fake tooth.” With a dental implant, the adjacent teeth need no alteration and remain in their natural state.
Reliable: Time has shown that dental implants have a high success rate and are predictable.
Easier maintenance: A dental implant is just like your natural teeth. You will be able to floss in between the implant and adjacent as opposed to a bridge where it can be a challenge to floss beneath it.

How long does the treatment take?

A dental implant is a team effort between your Redmond dentist and a periodontist or oral surgeon.

Typically it takes 3-4 months for the implant to be fully integrated into your jaw. During the waiting period you will have a temporary placed so you won’t have to go with a gap in your mouth.
After the dental implant has been fully integrated an impression will be taken for the fabrication of your crown.
Your next visit will consist of evaluating the implant crown for proper fit and aesthetics, and will then be permanently placed

Risks of Tooth Loss

After losing one or more teeth due to age, decay or a dental injury you may feel uncertain about visiting the dentist for help. However, missing teeth may lead to increased risks for developing gum disease, bite misalignment disorders such as TMJ pain or TMD, increased risks for infection, jawbone deterioration and further tooth loss over time. If you have lost one or more teeth, Dr. Bickel encourages you to give the office a call at (425) 883-1331 to schedule a consultation in a warm and supportive atmosphere in Redmond, WA.

Our Dental Implant Process

At Redmond Art of Dentistry, Dr. Bickel and his team work carefully to create a positive and comfortable experience at the dentist, every time. When you come in for a dental implant, the process begins by taking dental x-rays and forming a detailed impression of the mouth and teeth. From this impression, the team will partner with you to determine the ideal size, shape and shade of the dental crown to serve as your replacement tooth. Using calming sedation dentistry, the dental implant is carefully integrated into the jaw to fuse with the surrounding bone, in a process known as osseointegration. Once secured into place, the dental crown is securely attached into place. After treatment, dental implants look and feel like natural healthy teeth and are often mistaken for your natural smile.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

Dental implants are built for durability, strength, and stability. Thanks to osseointegration and the formation of an artificial tooth root, your dental implant will never move and the implant itself has a minimum lifespan of 25 years.

With proper care and oral hygiene, most patients never need to replace their implants and they last for the rest of their life. However, you will need to replace the restoration that attaches to the implant. Dental crowns have an average lifespan of 10-15 years, after which they will need to be replaced.

This process is very simple. The crown is fabricated from impressions that are taken of your tooth and then after a few weeks, we attach it to your implants. There’s no need to make incisions or open up the implant site.

Continual replacement of the restoration is non-invasive at our Redmond office. To care for your implants, regularly brush, floss, and attend dental cleanings.

What Are Dental Implants Made With?

Traditional dental implants are made out of titanium because this material is biocompatible and increases the success rate of implant placement. It’s also a highly durable material that lasts for 25 years to life.

However, implants can be made out of zirconia instead in cases where a patient has a metal allergy. Zirconia is also highly durable and while they are expected to have a comparable lifespan to titanium implants, no long-term studies have been conducted to test this.

Patients with a metal allergy can face implant failure when titanium implants are embedded into the jawbone. The construction of implants can differ depending on the material that is used.

For example, titanium implants consist of three parts: the post which is implanted, the abutment which is the connection point, and then the crown which finalizes the restoration. Zirconia implants, however, are made of a single component without separate parts. Book a consultation with Dr. Bickel to determine which implant material is right for you.

How Do Dental Implants Stop Bone Loss?

Dental implants prevent bone loss by restoring stimulation to the jawbone. When you lose a tooth, the tooth root is no longer attached to the jawbone. When you chew, this means that the root is no longer providing stimulation to the jawbone to regenerate new bone cells.

This leads to irreversible bone resorption that only worsens over time and even increases your risk for future tooth loss. Implants, however, restore the tooth’s crown and the tooth root by integrating the implant with the jawbone.

This artificial tooth root provides stimulation to the jawbone when you chew once again so that cells are continually regenerated and the existing bone is preserved. The process of forming an artificial tooth root takes about 3 to 6 months, through osseointegration. The jawbone grows around the implant until they become fused.