Dental

Implants

Implants are a method of replacing teeth with durable ceramic crowns (the white, visible part of the tooth) anchored to a titanium implant. This implant, which is surgically placed in the bone of the upper or lower jaw, is highly compatible with human bone. When it bonds tightly with bone, it forms a secure anchor for the crown. 

When the implant has bonded tightly with the bone in the jaw and the ceramic tooth has been attached to it, a patient has a stable, permanent replacement for a missing tooth, one that matches their natural teeth.

Our patients find that dental implants are better in every way than earlier methods of tooth replacement. With ordinary dentures, a person has to be careful of what they eat and there’s always the possibility of dentures slipping or clicking embarrassingly. With bridges, special care is needed to make sure they last and they often trap food underneath. 

When dental implants became available a couple of decades ago, finally patients had a way to get their smiles restored that would feel and function just like their natural teeth. When the implants are completed, there are no restrictions on what to eat. They will never slip like dentures. They will feel secure like a patient’s natural teeth. 

When implants are used to replace all the teeth in a smile, a dentist and the patient can work together to design the exact smile the patient would like. When one or more teeth are being replaced, they can be designed to exactly match the patient’s other teeth. 

What’s more, with implants, a patient can once again use normal biting pressure while eating. A person who has worn dentures for many years often finds that they must reduce the pressure of their biting and chewing, which means restricting the foods they eat. 

What if a patient was planning to get a bridge to replace a missing tooth? Replacing that missing tooth with an implant means that teeth on either side don’t need to be reshaped to prepare them for a dental bridge; those healthy teeth can remain intact. 

Before starting the implant procedure, a patient must have good general and oral health, with no signs of gum disease. There must be sturdy bone in the area into which the implant will be placed. 

If a patient has been missing a tooth for many years, they may have lost some of the bone mass in that area. The bone may first need to be built up with a procedure called “bone grafting.” This procedure restores the thickness of the bone. 

In this procedure, the gum is opened and tiny chips of natural or synthetic bone are placed next to the existing bone. The gum is then stitched up. These tiny chips encourage the patient’s own body to add more bone thickness to the area. When the bone is thick and stable, the implant can proceed. 

Dr. Abdelrazek is not only extensively trained and experienced in providing patients with dental implants, she has distinguished herself from other dentists by extending her dental education three full years after completing dental school. After graduating from the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Alexandria (Egypt), she completed a full year of internship at the same institution, followed by two years of advanced education during a residency at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She has been practicing in this area for more than 15 years.