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About Dental Implants
Our dental implant surgery replaces damaged or missing teeth with state-of-the-art ceramic teeth that look and function much like natural teeth. Traditional bridges and dentures are a duo choice to dental implants, but implants are now the best way to replace teeth. Our patients like implants because they are so similar to natural teeth. After wearing traditional dentures for several years, one of our happy patients said he can “rip through a steak again.”
How dental implant surgery is performed can vary from patient to patient and depends on the type of implant and the thickness, shape and condition of your jawbone. Getting your dental implants may involve several different procedures. The major benefit implants provide is strong support for your new teeth. Implant placement requires time for the bone to heal around the implant, and the process can take up to a few months, depending on your unique case.
Are Implants Right for You?
Because the titanium implants fuse with your jawbone, the implants will not slip, make noise or cause bone damage the way fixed bridgework or dentures can. The materials cannot decay like your own teeth. But implants are not for everyone. Dental implants might be right for you if you have:
- One or more missing teeth
- Bones that are done growing
- Enough bone to secure the implants. If you do not have enough bone, there are specialized procedures that can be completed in some cases to add bone in areas lacking the proper amount.
- Healthy oral tissues
- Enough health to support bone healing around your implants
- Inability or unwillingness to wear dentures
- Desire to improve your speech
- Willingness to commit a few months to the process
How to Prepare
The planning process can vary a lot from patient to patient, sometimes involving a few specialists. For the majority of our patients, everything can be completed right here in our office. We have a specialist dentist who designs and fits prosthetic teeth (Dr. Mike is a prosthodontist). We sometimes work closely with other specialists, like oral surgeons. We also sometimes work with a dentist specializing in treating structures that support the teeth, such as gums and bones (periodontist). We use a variety of creative procedures to help ensure that each unique patient has the minimal amount of work done to achieve the desired results, and we take pride in our ability to spare our patients from unnecessary invasive procedures and save them money.
Because dental implants require one or more surgical procedures, you will have a thorough evaluation in advance, including the following:
- Comprehensive dental exam. This includes X-rays, 3D images and potentially digital scans and models made of your teeth and jaws.
- Review of your medical history. Tell us about any medical conditions and any medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs and supplements. If you have certain heart conditions or orthopedic implants, we may prescribe antibiotics before surgery to help prevent infection.
- Treatment plan. This custom plan, unique to you, takes into account factors such as how many teeth you need to have replaced and the condition of your jawbone and remaining teeth.
To control pain, anesthesia options during surgery may include prescription pain medication taken in advance, local anesthesia and nitrous oxide gas for sedation. Talk to Dr. Moffitt about which options are best for you. We will instruct you about eating and drinking before surgery, depending on what type of anesthesia you have. If you are opting for powerful prescription medication and/or sedation, we will tell you to have someone take you home after surgery and expect to rest for the remainder of the day.
What to Expect
Our dental implant surgery is an outpatient surgery performed in stages with some healing time between procedures. These multiple steps include:
- Removing damaged teeth
- Preparing the jawbone, building up the ridge line, or grafting if needed
- Placing the implants
- Allowing time for bone to grow and heal
- Placing the abutments
- Placement of your new teeth
The entire process can take a few months from start to finish. Most of that time is just letting things heal and waiting for new bone growth in your jaw. Sometimes certain steps can be combined to make things easier, but this depends on your unique situation, the procedures being done and the materials being used.
Do You Need Bone Build-up?
If your jawbone is not thick enough or is too soft, Dr. Moffitt may need to build up your ridge line or you may need bone grafting prior to getting your implants. Chewing can put over 100 pounds of pressure on your implants, and if the underlying bone cannot support it, the implant will fail. Dr. Moffitt is very skilled at building up the ridge line with bone to help support an implant, but in certain complex cases you may be referred to a specialist for this step of the process. Oftentimes, Dr. Moffitt can build up your bone when your old teeth are extracted or at the same time you have your implant surgery. The condition of your bone will determine what procedures need to be completed.
Placing Your Implants
During your surgery, Dr. Moffitt will make a cut to open your gum and expose the bone. A hole is drilled into the bone in several stages for a very precise and snug fit where the titanium implant will be placed. The implant is inserted into the bone to provide maximum strength, and in most cases, it will be covered by the gum tissue for a few months until it is fully healed and ready to restore with the prosthetic teeth.
The length of time your surgery takes will depend on several factors, including how many implants you are getting, where they are going, if any bone build-up was needed, how hard your bone is (along with other specifics relating to the shape and condition of your jawbone) and whether there were any complications. However, it usually takes less than an hour.
Even though the implant is placed, you are still missing a tooth. Depending on your unique situation, Dr. Moffitt may place a temporary prosthesis for appearance if needed. This temporary piece may be easily removed while you sleep or for cleaning.
Placing Your Implants
During your surgery, Dr. Moffitt will make a cut to open your gum and expose the bone. A hole is drilled into the bone in several stages for a very precise and snug fit where the titanium implant will be placed. The implant is inserted into the bone to provide maximum strength, and in most cases, it will be covered by the gum tissue for a few months until it is fully healed and ready to restore with the prosthetic teeth.
The length of time your surgery takes will depend on several factors, including how many implants you are getting, where they are going, if any bone build-up was needed, how hard your bone is (along with other specifics relating to the shape and condition of your jawbone) and whether there were any complications. However, it usually takes less than an hour.
Even though the implant is placed, you are still missing a tooth. Depending on your unique situation, Dr. Moffitt may place a temporary prosthesis for appearance if needed. This temporary piece may be easily removed while you sleep or for cleaning.
Waiting for Bone Growth
After your titanium implant is placed snugly into your jawbone, the process of osseointegration will begin (“oss-ee-oh-integration”). This is where the bone grows into and unites with the surface of the dental implant. This can take a few months and is essential for a solid foundation for your new prosthetic teeth just like roots do for your natural teeth.
Choices for Your New Teeth
Gums need time to heal before we take a digital scan of your mouth and remaining teeth. This way everything will fit better in the long run. The digital scan is used to make your prosthetics (your new teeth).
At one point, Dr. Mike Moffitt was the only practicing prosthodontist in North Iowa. Other dentists come here for their own work and refer cases here to us because this is a specialty practice. We have been designing dental prosthetics in Iowa since 1976. Dr. Jordan Moffitt has been trained by Dr. Mike and is skilled at designing and placing dental prosthetics. Over the years, we have examined and tried all different sorts of prosthetics, and we are very opinionated about our favorites. We only work with quality ceramic materials, and our favorite is the zirconia artificial tooth, which is the strongest available.
Watch and see how tough these crowns are compared to other porcelain crowns.
Dr. Moffitt will help you choose what tooth color is best for you and whether your new teeth will be removable, fixed or a combination of both:
- In this type, we use attachments that snap securely into place with your fingers. This looks similar to a conventional removable denture. It can be a partial or full denture. It contains artificial white teeth surrounded by pink semi-translucent plastic gum. It is mounted on a metal frame that is attached to the implant abutment. You can take it out yourself anytime for cleaning.
- This type is permanently screwed or cemented onto an individual implant abutment. You cannot remove the tooth for cleaning or during sleep. Most of the time, each crown is attached to its own dental implant. However, because implants are exceptionally strong, more than one tooth can be replaced by one implant if they are bridged together.
Placing the Abutments
To place the abutment:
- Dr. Moffitt reopens your gum to expose the dental implant
- The abutment is secured to the implant
- The gum tissue is then closed around, but not over, the abutment
After the abutment is placed, your gums must heal for about two weeks before the new teeth are attached.
Aftercare
You may need pain medications or antibiotics after getting your implants. If any problem gets worse a few days after surgery, contact Dr. Moffitt. After each procedure, you may need to eat soft foods while healing. Dr. Moffitt will remove your stitches as soon as they are ready to be safely removed.
Full Arch Implants 
Multiple Teeth 
Single Implant 