Frequently Asked Questions
Occasionally, older patients express concern that their age may prevent them from enjoying the benefits of dental implants. However, health is more of a determining factor than age. If you’re healthy enough to have a tooth extracted, you’re probably healthy enough to receive dental implants. Certain chronic diseases may contraindicate dental implant treatment. Your dentist will determine if you are a candidate for dental implants after a careful evaluation of your dental and health history.
If you are missing one or more teeth, or have loose fitting dentures, dental implants may be for you.
Dental implants are permanent anchors that integrate with the jawbone to provide secure, stable and long-lasting tooth replacement. Because dental implants become part of the jaw, they look and feel like natural teeth, allowing you to eat, talk and smile without worry.
When properly cared for, dental implants can last a lifetime, making them one of the best investments for long-term tooth replacement. Studies have reported that the long-term success rate of implants is over 95%.
The fee for tooth replacement with dental implants depends on several factors, including the number of teeth being replaced and the number of dental implants required to support your replacement teeth. Some additional procedures may be required prior to the placement of your dental implants to ensure the long-term health of your dental implants. To obtain a specific fee estimate, it is necessary to have a doctor examine your mouth. After a thorough diagnostic examination, your dentist will recommend the treatment that is best for you.
Today, state-of-the-art guided surgical techniques are convenient alternatives to place dental implants and allow you to have the dental implant placed in a single session using keyhole surgery. This new method has significantly simplified the procedure, for both patients and dentists. The major advantage of the guided surgical technique is the minimal amount of manipulation of the soft tissue due to keyhole surgery. This significantly reduces the healing time and the discomfort normally associated with traditional dental implant surgical techniques.
The conventional process can take from three to six months. First, the dentist places the dental implant, which is left for three to six months to heal and integrate with the jawbone. During the healing period, your are given a temporary prosthesis until the permanent crown is put in place.
The procedure chosen depends on several factors, such as your dental health, the number of teeth involved and which teeth are replaced. These factors will also determine the total number of visits to the dentist throughout the treatment period.
Your new teeth must be cared for and checked regularly, just like your natural teeth. Brush and floss as recommended by your dentist or dental hygienist. See your dentist in six months, or more frequently if so advised.
It is normal to have some bruising and swelling in the gum and soft tissues. But usually the discomfort, if any, is treated with an ordinary painkiller. You should expect to be able to work the next day.
A tooth extraction refers to the procedure of removing a tooth from its socket. Before we start it’s important that you notify your dentist of your medical condition such as whether you have any artificial joints, diabetes, or a history of heart and valve conditions. You should also inform your dentist of any medications you are currently or have previously taken, such as Redux, Phen-Fen blood thinners, or importantly medications that contain bisphosphonates . Here is how an extraction is done first, the local anesthetic is applied to make the procedure more comfortable, in some cases your dentist will elect to use nitrous oxide gas, in addition to the anesthetic once the area is numb, the extraction begins.
A dental instrument called an elevator is used to wiggle the tooth in its socket after the tooth is loose and it is removed using forceps or in some more complicated cases a surgical handpiece is also used to assist with the removal of the tooth. Like most other procedures tooth extractions are not free of possible complications, you should be aware that there is a slight chance of infection, tenderness, prolonged bleeding, dry socket, and loosening of neighboring teeth or their fillings or crowns. Another rare possibility, is a tooth being displaced into the sinus during an extraction of an upper tooth Lastly, jaw fracture is also a very rare possibility, you need to be aware of the importance of replacing this missing tooth, why? Once a tooth is removed, the space created by the missing tooth will allow the surrounding teeth to shift into that space, this shift could cause a misalignment in your mouth that can result in chewing or jaw joint problems.
Shifting teeth are harder to clean, making them more susceptible to gum disease, decay, or even additional tooth loss. For these reasons, it’s important to replace the tooth with a dental appliance such as a bridge, a removable partial denture, or an implant. In some instances, you may be considering the option of pulling a tooth rather than simply repairing it, while it may be less expensive in the short run, in the long run, it may cost you more as you just heard once a tooth is pulled you still need to fill the space with the dental appliance. To avoid future complications if you add the cost of extraction plus the replacement of the tooth you may simply be better off repairing it, please be sure to ask your dentist for proper home care and postoperative instruction care.
With any surgery, there can be some discomfort. Placing one implant normally causes less discomfort then placing several. Anesthesia and patient sedation are commonly administered to help reduce any discomfort during the dental implant process. Most patients report that they were much more comfortable following the procedure than they had anticipated. Your doctor will prescribe medications to ease any discomfort that may occur. Ask your dentist to recommend another patient who has already had tooth replacement therapy to assess their personal experience.
Have you lost your teeth due to severe tooth decay, gum disease, trauma, or even a failed root canal? If so, you may qualify for implant treatment, dental implants are used to replace one or more missing teeth in your mouth. Implants, are made of titanium or similar materials, that are well suited to the human body. They are, artificial replacements for teeth roots that support restoration, or a dental appliance. Besides, it’s cosmetic advantage replacing the missing teeth will restore your ability to properly chew and speak.
In addition, the space caused by the missing teeth may allow the surrounding teeth to shift into that space. This shifting could cause a misalignment in your bite, that can result in problems with your jaw joint, these shifted teeth are harder to clean making them more susceptible to gum disease, decay, or even additional tooth loss. Before we start, it’s important that you notify your dentist of your medical condition. Whether you have any artificial joints, diabetes, or a history of heart, and valve conditions you should also inform your dentist of any medications you are currently or have previously taken. Such as redux or Fen Fen blood thinners, more importantly medications that contain bisphosphonates, like fosa Max.
It normally takes a few phases, and several months for your dentist to complete the treatment. In the first phase, your dentist will place the implants in your jaw bone, it requires 3 to 6 months for the bone to fuse to the implants. In the second phase. your dentist will place an extension, or opposed to extend the implants above the gumline this process can also be performed during the first phase, depending on the technique chosen by your dentist. After, your gums are healed it is time for an impression to be made, and a final restoration or appliance to be fabricated by the dental laboratory.
In most cases, on your final visit the restoration of the dental appliances are made than placed and adjusted to ensure proper fit, and function. While every effort is made to place a successful, and functioning implant, it sometimes fails. This is mainly due to lack of proper attachment between the implant, and the jawbone, during the bone fusing phase. Other problems, such as breakage of the implants, loosening of its restoration of dental appliance, or infection of the surrounding gums are also rare possibilities.
Finally, due to differences in the shapes of the jaws and the bone density, the back area of upper jaw may require an additional procedure such as a sinus lifting, to increase the predictability and long term success. Please, keep in mind that the longevity of your implant, and its restoration depends in large part on your oral hygiene diet and the health of the supporting bones and gums. Please ask your dentist for proper brushing and flossing techniques if you have any additional questions please consult your dentist.
Improved appearance:
When you lose the entire tooth – crown and root – shrinkage of the jawbone may cause your face to look older. Dental implants can stop this process. A traditional denture or dental bridge doesn’t.
Preserve natural teeth:
With traditional dental bridges, teeth adjacent to missing teeth are normally ground down to be used as anchors for a dental bridge. Dental implants often eliminate the need to modify healthy teeth.
Permanent solution:
There are no loose parts to worry about losing. The dental implant is stable and comfortable. No adjustment is need after placement. Normally, it will serve its owner for life.
Dental implant-supported replacement teeth look, feel and function like natural teeth. This means that you can eat and drink whatever you choose. But most importantly, dental implants often improve quality of life in a very concrete way. People who have felt embarrassed and worried because of their tooth problems are often overwhelmed by what new permanent teeth can do for their self-esteem.
A dental implant is a small titanium screw that serves as the replacement for the root portion of a missing natural tooth. Dental implants can be placed in either the upper or lower jaws. Due to the bio-compatible properties of titanium, a dental implant fuses with the bone and becomes a good anchor for the replacement tooth. Dental implants can be used in solutions for replacing single or multiple missing teeth.
Anyone who is missing one or more teeth due to injury, disease or tooth decay may be a candidate for dental implants. The determining factor is the amount of available bone. Your dentist is the best person to evaluate whether dental implants are a viable solution for you.
Even though most dentists refer their patients to specialists for the placement of dental implants, Dr. Lieu has the training and expertise to perform the surgery in his office without the need for a referral saving your time and money.
Every effort is made to make a good and functional denture, it is sometimes hard to achieve a stable and retentive denture, this is mainly due to the jaw bone constantly shrinking with age, smoking, or for some systemic diseases such as diabetes, or even chewing pressure on the existing denture. However, there are new advances in making dentures, one such advance is an implant-supported denture that increases the stability of the denture, this kind of dental appliance requires the placement of implants in your mouth, before making the denture, dental implants are used to replace one or more missing teeth in your mouth. Implants are made of titanium or similar materials that are well suited to the human body they are artificial replacements, for teeth roots that support a restoration or a dental appliance.
Before we start, it’s important that you notify your dentist of any medical condition you may have such as whether you have any artificial joints, diabetes or a history of heart and valve conditions. You should also inform your dentist of any medications you are currently taking or have previously taken such as Redux or Fen-Phen blood thinners or importantly medications that contain bisphosphonates , it normally takes a few phases, and several months for your dentist to complete the treatment. In the first phase your dentist will place the implants in your jaw bone it requires 3 to 6 months for the bone to fuse to the implants. In the second phase, your dentist will place an extension or opposed to extend the implants above the gum line. This process can also be performed during the first phase depending on the technique chosen by your dentist after your gums are healed it is time for an impression to be made and a final restoration or appliance to be fabricated by the dental laboratory. In most cases on your final visit, the restoration or the dental appliances are placed and adjusted to ensure proper fit and function.
While every effort is made to place a successful and functioning implant it sometimes fails, this is mainly due to lack of proper attachment between the implant and the jawbone during the bone fusing phase. Other problems such as breakage of the implants, or breakage or loosening of its restoration or dental appliance or infection of the surrounding gums are also rare possibilities. Finally due to differences in the shapes of the jaws and the bone density the back area of upper jaw may require an additional procedure such as a sinus lifting to increase the predictability and long-term success if you have any additional questions please consult Dr. Lieu or Dr. Styles
Without the root structure of a natural tooth present, the jawbone can shrink and dissolve. This shrinkage will make your face look older than it is.
With more than three decades of clinical experience and over a million patients treated, statistics confirm a success rate of nearly 95 percent for individual dental implants.
When dental implants are used in combination with modern restorative dentistry, their appearance, comfort and function are very likely to exceed your expectations. Often they are hard to tell apart from your natural teeth.
Yes. Following a brief adaptation period, chewing capacity, pressure and force of your bite with dental implants is comparable to that of natural teeth.
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Dental Information
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Monday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:30 AM – 6:30 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday: By appointment only
Today’s advanced dental treatments and materials can give you a healthier and more complete smile to last you a lifetime.
Blue Apple Dental Group can help revitalize and maintain your teeth and gums, giving you the smile you’ve always wanted.
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Dr. Lieu has a wonderful crew of compassionate and competent people. They focus on your comfort and explain what they are doing. Dr. Lieu is an artist, the way he repairs teeth quickly and (more…)
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The front office staff were professional and courteous. The Hygienist was great, I was nervous when I got there. She made me feel comfortable. Dr. Styles and Dr. Lieu were the best at their profession.
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