Dental Implants

Are missing teeth holding you back from feeling confident about your smile? Dental implants offer an effective and state-of-the-art solution to a tooth replacement that will have you feeling like you’ve re-grown your natural teeth. At Distinctive Dental in Willowbrook, Illinois, Aušrinė Schneider, DDS, provides high-quality dental implants that look and function like natural teeth, giving patients improved oral capability and restored confidence in their smiles. To learn more about how Dr. Schneider can augment your smile, make an appointment today by calling the office or booking online.

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are tiny titanium screws surgically inserted into your jawbone where you’re missing a tooth.

The implants become part of your bone through a fusing process called osseointegration, allowing them to work just like your natural tooth root. This makes them a highly sturdy foundation, on top of which Dr. Schneider can install a crown or bridge or affix dentures.

Placing a tooth-colored restoration on top of a dental implant will be almost like you’ve re-grown your natural teeth.

Why should I get dental implants?

Dental implants can significantly improve the look of a smile that’s missing teeth, but they also provide many non-cosmetic benefits as well. Your mouth was designed to have all its teeth
present and work together in harmony. When you’re missing teeth, that can lead to:

• Changes to your bite, caused by the shifting of your natural teeth as they gradually move to fill in the space left by the missing teeth
• Changes in the appearance of your face as the muscles around your missing teeth atrophy and sink in
• Deterioration of the jawbone in the areas around the missing teeth, due to a lack of stimulation
• Difficulty speaking or eating properly

Dental implants prevent these problems from developing by functioning just like your natural teeth’s root structures. 

What should I expect during the dental implant process? 

When you come in for dental implants, Dr. Schneider first takes X-rays of your mouth to determine where the implants will go. She then makes a surgical incision into your gum and the jawbone beneath it and places the implant in your bone socket. Once the implant is firmly in place, she stitches you up and sends you home while your mouth heals.

Once the implant has had enough time to fuse to your jawbone — typically 3-9 months — you’ll return for a second appointment. After Dr. Schneider determines that the implant has successfully fused, she installs a crown, bridge, or dentures on top of it, leaving you with the renewed ability to chew, speak, and smile confidently as soon as you leave the office. 

To learn more about what dental implants can do for your smile, call or make an appointment online at Distinctive Dental.