Myths and Misconceptions of Dental Implants

Are you interested in receiving dental implants? Learn the facts about this innovative procedure for restoring missing teeth and schedule your complimentary dental implant consultation with our oral surgeon in Northern Virginia, Dr. Snehal Patel. Below are common misconceptions individuals have regarding dental implants: 

Only Certain Patients can get Dental Implants

Thanks to innovative applications of dental implant technology, many patients are candidates for dental implants or implant-based treatments. During your first visit to our dental office in Lorton, our oral surgeon will thoroughly evaluate the condition of your smile, paying close attention to the density of your jaw. From there, Dr. Patel will determine whether preliminary bone grafting may be needed to strengthen the jaw and ensure successful implant treatment. 

Dentures are the only way to Replace Multiple Teeth

While most patients consider dental implants to be single tooth restorations, the truth is they can be adapted to larger restorations. For patients missing multiple teeth (even entire arches), Dr. Patel strategically places several dental implants as the foundation for permanent fixed bridges. Implants are placed to secure removable dentures, helping patients with existing dentures, and creating a stabilized bite.

Any Dentist will Place a Dental Implant

While many general dentists may offer dental implant placement, this procedure is often best left to extensively trained oral surgeons. In Northern Virginia, our oral surgeon works closely with local general dentists to coordinate post-treatment care and restoration placement.

Dental Implants are Noticeable

Unlike bulky dentures or bridges, dental implants are designed to look, feel, and function just like your natural teeth. Implant crowns are made of porcelain, giving patients a natural looking, completed smile. Likewise, implant bridges and dentures are custom-made to match the rest of your smile, ensuring a seamless appearance. 

Care for Dental Implants is Simple

Compared to traditional restorations, caring for dental implants is as easy as caring for your original teeth. In addition to daily brushing and flossing, patients should visit their general dentist for routine cleanings every six months. For patients who used dental implants to replace teeth lost due to gum disease or other dental infection, your dentist may have additional instructions for at-home hygiene. 

Interested in Dental Implants? Call our Lorton Oral Surgeon Today!

Dr. Patel and his team at Lorton-Springfield Dental Implants & Oral Surgery are proud to offer dental implants to patients throughout Northern Virginia. To learn more about this innovative treatments, call your nearest location today and schedule your implant consultation. 

The Future of Dental Implants

Dentistry is constantly changing; new technologies are being developed, procedures made more efficient, and more treatment options than ever before are now available. Any oral surgeon or dentist is limited in how they can treat adult teeth, especially when teeth must be removed or treated with preliminary care, like root canal therapy. You only have one of that particular tooth, and there’s no replacement.

Natural, Biological Implants
Within the next decades, it is surmised by experts in the field that dental implants will continue to improve and made to be longer-lasting. Eventually, though, the traditional implant procedure will be replaced by something far better. What if you could have your missing teeth back? Oral surgeons and scientists are researching how to re-grow teeth using cells. As adults and children, our teeth have stem cells that can be used to grow brand new teeth or tissues when needed. Instead of undergoing complex dental restorations and prosthetic teeth replacement, one can simply have a tooth grown and placed at the site of a missing tooth, as if you never lost it.

Ethical and Adaptable
In the above method, the stem cells used are all provided by your own body. These procedures are ethical and provide new teeth that are naturally designed to bond with your own tissue; there is little chance your immune system will reject your own cells and tissues.

Beyond replacing teeth, your stem cells could also be used to restore gum tissue that have receded or decayed. Oral procedures such as bone grafts, root planing and scaling, and possibly even common fillings could be dramatically changed with the introduction of stem cells. As of yet, the full range of dental applications have not been explored, but one day dentistry could have very few serious procedures and be focused more on natural, easily integrated treatments.

Oral Procedures at Lorton-Springfield Dental Implants & Oral Surgery
Even though this future is far-off, our practice is proud to offer the most advanced oral procedures for restoring and replacing teeth. Northern Virgina oral surgeons Drs.Snehal Patel and Jason Bae are experienced oral surgeons who provide top-quality care to all of their patients. From dental implants and wisdom teeth extractions to jaw surgery and sedation dentistry, our experienced staff is prepared to provide state-of-the-art care that is minimally invasive and comprehensive. Call us today to schedule a consultation.

Choosing Between Root Canal Therapy and Dental Implants

When you have a tooth that needs dental work, but you have the choice between a root canal and replacing the damaged tooth with a dental implant, it may be hard to choose. Both procedures improve oral health and include restorations that can be color-matched to blend with your natural smile. However, it’s important to keep in mind that not everyone who needs root canal therapy qualifies for a dental implant and some patients may not be able to save severely damaged teeth with a root canal.
Consider the following features of both procedures.

Root Canal Therapy: A patient needs root canal therapy if their tooth has become infected due to advanced decay. This procedure removes infected tooth pulp and involves capping the tooth with a crown for improved function and aesthetics. There are many options for crown materials and some of them look more natural than others, but most materials in modern dentistry have the potential to last for years with the proper care.

Root canals save as much natural tooth as possible, and are typically conducted by endodontists who are trained to perform root canals and are experienced to eliminate discomfort and reduce chances of re-infection.

Dental Implants: If tooth has been compromised by infection, it’s sometimes necessary to extract the entire tooth and provide a replacement. In these instances, a single-tooth implant is an option. During extraction and implant placement, the whole tooth and root are removed and an implant is placed into your jaw bone. Implants are designed to fuse with the bone in your jaw over time and become a whole replacement for a lost tooth. A dental restoration is placed on top of the implant post and is designed to fit perfectly with surrounding teeth. Modern materials permit a similar aesthetic and strength to natural teeth.

The dental implant itself takes some time to officially fuse to your jaw bone and become as strong as possible. To ensure the health and continued integrity of your implant, follow-up examinations are required.

The benefits of dental implants include:
• Strong, natural looking restoration
• Replaces entire tooth
• Long-lasting
• In the event of damage, only the top prosthetic needs to be swapped out

Contact Lorton Springfield Dental Implants & Oral Surgery 
For your dental implant or root canal therapy needs, please visit our dentists at Lorton- Springfield Dental Implant and Oral Surgery. Call us for a consultation and find out which dental treatment is best for you.

5 Factors to Consider When Looking For an Implant Dentist

Receiving dental implants is a multi-step process. Given the longevity and expense of the treatment, there are a number of factors to consider before undergoing treatment. In particular, researching implant dentists and finding the best dental professional to perform your procedure is a critical part of preparing for this treatment. Consider the following factors when looking for your implant dentist.

What is the Dentist’s Training?
Placing the implant and loading the restoration requires special training beyond general dental education. Additionally, depending on the condition of the smile, certain patients may require preliminary procedures to prepare the tissue and jaw bone for implant placement. As a result, not all general dentists may have the tools or training required to successfully place or load dental implants. On the other hand, oral surgeons and periodontists are well versed in the anatomy of the jaw and have undergone extensive training in implant placement, restoration loading, and jaw bone treatments.

Is a Referral Necessary?
Some implant dentists welcome patients without a referral. Others work in partnership with a group of fellow dental professionals to provide advanced implant and surgical services for their patients. At Lorton-Springfield Dental Implants & Oral Surgery, we accept referrals as well as independent appointments.

What are My Payment Options?
Knowing how to pay for upcoming dental implants is just as important as knowing where you’ll be receiving your dental implants. While dental implants offer patients a permanent restoration option, the initial placement and restoration is often more expensive than traditional dentures or bridges. As dental insurance may not fully cover this treatment, determining your payment options is especially important. While some practices may recommend third party financing, others are willing to work with patients to create a monthly payment plan.

What are the Available Treatments?
Each patients’ implant treatment is unique according to their oral health and functional needs. As a result, while some patients may require bone grafting or full arch implants, others may be looking for full mouth restoration options. With this in mind, search for an implant dentist who has helped restore smiles similar to yours and who offers the preliminary treatments your smile needs. Not only does this ensure consistent care, but it can also help drive down the overall cost of care.

What are the Sedation Options?
Patient comfort during treatment makes up an important part of their overall treatment experience. While implant placement is an outpatient procedure and local anesthetic is used to numb the area, some patient prefer to enhance their procedure with dental sedation. For improved patient comfort during implant placement as well as preliminary surgical procedures, Lorton-Springfield Dental Implants & Oral Surgery offers a wide range of sedation options, ranging from intravenous sedation to full general anesthesia.

The process of searching for an implant dentist can be lengthy and requires doing your research. If you have questions or concerns about the implant process, contact Dr. Snehal Patel of Lorton Springfield Dental Implant & Oral Surgery. We welcome patients from throughout Northern Virginia and the metro Washington D.C. region.

Bone Grafts 101

When it comes to preparing for dental implants, some patients may require extra treatment. At Lorton-Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery, Dr. Snehal Patel and his team specialize in helping patients achieve long-lasting restorations through preliminary bone grafts.

What is Bone Grafting?

Dental bone grafts are used to recreate or reinforce bone in the jaw. There are different types of bone grafts, each which target a unique part of the bone structure. Among the most common and most effective bone graft procedures are

• Sinus lifts, which raise the height of the bone on the upper jaw
• Ridge expansion, which uses bone grafts to improve the structure of the jaw where the sockets sit, also known as the bone ridge.
• Socket preservation, during which sockets of extracted teeth are filled with material to prevent reabsorption into the jaw.

Why would I Need Bone Graft?

The jaw bone is the foundation of your smile and dental function. Your jaw is greatly affected by your oral health. Periodontal disease, misaligned bite, and cavities can all negatively affect the health of underlying bone. These conditions can cause the bone in the jaw to shrink. As the bone shrinks, the jaw fails to provide sufficient support for remaining teeth, which may fall out.

Bone grafts are especially beneficial for patients looking to improve their smile with dental implants. Since the implant post is surgically inserted into the jaw, the bone must be strong enough to support the post and the restoration. Patients with insufficient bone quality may require bone grafting procedures prior to implant placement, to ensure that their restoration is successful and long lasting.

What materials are used in bone grafts?

The materials used in dental bone grafts fall into three classes, based on how they are integrated into the bone.

• Autogenous bone grafts utilize the patient’s bone taken from another part of the body. Because the bone is from the patient’s body, autogenous bone grafts encourage bone growth and have a high integration success rate.
• Allogenic bone grafts are dental grafts taken from a donor. As the bone contains no live cellular activity, allogenic bone grafts serve as framework around which the patient’s existing bone can grow.
• Xenogenic bone grafts are taken from a non-living, non-human species. Similar to allogenic bone grafts, xenogenic bone grafts provide a foundation for the patient’s bone to regenerate around. Both allogenic and xenogenic bones undergo extensive preparation to minimize rejection when placed in the jaw.

In addition to these bone-based materials, synthetic bone grafts can also be used as a safe and successful alternative to actual bone. These include demineralized bone matrices, graft composites, and bone morphogenetic proteins.

Bone Grafts in Northern Virginia

At Lorton Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery, our dental team specializes in providing patients with exceptional dental care. For more information on our bone grafting options and dental implant procedures, contact our Lorton and Springfield practices today.

Preparing for Dental Implants: Sinus Lift

For patients looking to improve their smile with dental implants, ensuring healthy, long-lasting results can sometimes require the additional dental procedures to address bone density problems. At Lorton-Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery, Dr. Patel and his team specialize in helping patients overcome weakened jaw bones through a number of surgical procedures. Among the most effective procedures used to prepare for dental implants is a sinus lift.

What is a Sinus Lift?

A sinus lift is a surgical procedure that adds bone to the upper jaw, between the maxillary sinuses, near the molars and premolars. This raises the sinus floor and encourages bone growth. The procedure is especially important for patients with insufficient bone quality to support dental implants.

Why are Sinus Lifts Required?

In some patients, the tooth roots on the upper arch extend into the maxillary sinuses. As the bone separating the sinuses from the mouth is very thin, it cannot support dental implants without reinforcement. Candidates for sinus lifts procedures include:

• Patients missing multiple teeth at the rear of the upper arch
• Patients with insufficient bone at the back of their jaws
• Patients missing teeth due to developmental deformities or dental trauma

What Happens During a Sinus Lift?

When preparing for a sinus lift, a number of CT images will be taken of your teeth and jaw. This allows Dr. Patel to determine how much bone grafting will be required in order to sufficiently augment the jaw bone, as well as the best location to place grafts.  

During this surgical procedure, a small incision is made into the jaw bone. The grafting material is then placed below the sinus membrane, thereby increasing the thickness of the bone in the upper jaw.

Over the course of recovery, the graft gradually fuses into the jaw, reinforcing weakened bone and creating a stable foundation for future permanent restorations. Once the treatment area is completely healed, patients can return for implant placement, although some patients may be eligible for placement immediately following the sinus lift procedure.

Sinus Augmentations in Northern Virginia

For some patients, sinus lifts may be the most effective method of preparing the jaw for dental implants. To learn more about this surgical augmentation, contact our Lorton or Springfield practices today.

The Health Benefits of Dental Implants

When choosing dental restorations there are a number of factors to consider, including what is involved in the treatment, the long-term results, and cost. Most importantly, individuals must consider what the long-term health implications are of their desired treatment. In addition to the aesthetic benefits offered by dental implants, this restorative dental treatment also offers a number of health advantages when compared to traditional restorations.

Why are there so many health benefits associated with dental implants?

Part of the reason why dental implants remain successful and functional well into the future is due to the components that make up dental implants as well as how they are integrated into the dentition. The basic structure of a dental implant consists of an implant post, a connective abutment, and the final restoration, which can range from a single crown to total arch replacement with an implant-supported denture.

As the implant post is designed to mimic the natural tooth root, this biocompatible component stimulates the jaw bone exactly as the original tooth root does. During the recovery period following implant placement, the bone and implant fuse together, effectively ensuring that the implant becomes an integrated part of the jaw. Known as osseointegration, this naturally occurring process is critical to the long-term success of the restorative treatment.

Successful osseointegration also plays an important role in creating the long-term advantages associated with dental implants. For starters, the stimulation provided by the integration of the implant into the bone helps to encourage healthy bone regeneration. In the long run, this helps preserve the facial structure in addition to preventing additional tooth loss.

Dental implant integration also helps to preserve the alignment of the dentition. Often, the teeth next to an empty gap tend to shift into the space left by missing or extracted teeth. This can have a domino effect of the rest of the smile, compromising overall functionality. Since dental implants are firmly anchored into the dentition, this restorative treatment also helps prevent this shift, protecting the alignment of the smile and jaw.

Dental Implants in Northern Virginia

If you are weighing your restorative treatment options, contact Dr. Snehal Patel of Lorton-Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery. Our specialty dental practice is proud to offer a number of dental implant and implant-supported treatment options designed to improve the look, function, and health of your smile. 

Preparing for Dental Implants: Socket Preservation

Ideally, treatment for dental trauma should seek to preserve as many of your natural teeth as possible. When this is not an option, proactive dental restoration often involves treating the supporting jaw bone to ensure successful care. Socket preservation is an effective method of reinforcing weakened bone and creating a stable foundation for your future restoration.

What is Socket Preservation?

Socket preservation is designed to encourage the body to naturally repair sockets left by missing teeth. When implemented immediately following tooth extraction, socket preservation efforts can reduce bone atrophy in the jaw. Unlike ridge modification, where the graft is placed on bone, socket preservation places grafts directly inside the tooth socket.

The Socket Preservation Procedure

Following tooth extraction, bone, or a bone substitute, is placed inside the empty tooth socket. The socket is then covered with a gum graft or an artificial membrane that encourages the body to heal the socket itself. While socket preservation is not a permanent solution, it does prevent gum tissue and bone from growing in the empty socket and causing bone shrinkage in the jaw.

How Does Socket Preservation Help Me?

Scientific evidence has shown that, within the first year following tooth loss or extraction, anywhere from 40 – 60% of the socket is reabsorbed by the jaw. This can have a domino effect on other oral structures by causing the jaw bone to shrink, compromising dental function and putting other teeth at risk of becoming loose. Bone atrophy can also make the process of placing dental implants more difficult by requiring preparation surgeries to ensure the jaw is healthy enough to support the implants. 

Socket preservation provides patients with a comprehensive treatment that protects the shape of their smile. By preserving the socket, patients have a greater chance of successful dental implant placement, leading to a long-lasting restoration and improved dental function.

Socket Preservation in Northern Virginia

For more information on preparing for dental implants with socket preservation, contact Dr. Snehal Patel at Lorton-Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery. With offices in Lorton as well as Springfield, our dental team strives to help patients achieve healthy, beautiful smiles through long-lasting restoration solutions.  

Preparing for Dental Implants - Ridge Modification

When it comes to restoring dental function with dentalimplants, insufficient bone density may require some patients to seek more preliminary treatment to prepare the jaw for successful implant placement.

Ridge modification is among the most effective methods of creating a solid foundation for dental implants. Not only can the procedure correct distortion caused by dental trauma or infection, but it can also remedy chronic distortion caused by developmental defects.

What is Ridge Modification?

Ridge modification, also known as ridge augmentation or ridge expansion, is a surgical procedure that aims to correct the shape of the jaw bone ridge and gum line. By creating a consistent and stable ridge, this grafting procedure widens the area available for implant placement.

What is the Ridge Modification Procedure?

There are two types of ridge expansion procedures, each with unique benefits:

Hard tissue: Hard tissue expansion is used to reconstruct the bone structure in the affected area. After an incision is made, the bone grafting material is inserted into the damaged area to recreate the improved ridge shape. To keep the bone graft in place and encourage healthy bone formation, biocompatible titanium mesh may be used.
        

Soft tissue: This procedure is designed to improve the appearance of a deteriorated area before the final restoration. During soft tissue ridge expansion, a soft tissue graft is sutured into place at the treatment area. The donated soft tissue may be taken from another place in your mouth, such as the palate, or may be a fabricated soft tissue substitute. Often, soft tissue ridge modification is used in combination with hard tissue ridge expansion to ensure a natural looking smile following the final restoration.

How Long Does it Take to Recover from Ridge Augmentation?

Recovery time is dependent on a number of factors, such as the size of the augmentation and patient health. If ridge modification is required for implant placement, your oral surgeon may recommend waiting until the graft is fully integrated into the bone to ensure a stable foundation before placing the implant.

While recovery time may vary per patient, the results are consistent for every patient. By reinforcing the weakened jaw structure, a ridge expansion procedure creates a stable foundation for long-lasting dental implants. This new stability helps improve not only the overall dental function and the aesthetic appeal of your new smile.

Ridge Expansion in Northern Virginia

For more information about the benefits of ridge augmentation, contact the dental team at Lorton-Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery. Dr. Patel is available to help you choose the right dental restoration for your smile.