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The Single Tooth Implant
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In the
"old days" of dental care, if you were to lose one tooth, your choices of
replacement were quite limited. Now, with the possibilities available using
implant therapy, your missing tooth can be replaced without you having to deal with extra,
bulky hardware in your mouth, as well as not having to have any other teeth modified or
crowned. |
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| Your single missing tooth can be replaced by
these two methods that involve minimal reduction of your tooth enamel . . . |
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| The resin retained bridge, or
"Maryland Bridge" is somewhat weak, and still requires some of your tooth
structure to be removed |
A partial denture, while a useful
dental appliance for the replacement of many teeth, is extremely bulky just for the
replacement of one tooth. |
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| Another way to replace your single tooth is
with the conventional fixed bridge, in which about 1 to 2 mm of tooth enamel is removed to
prepare for high-strength crowns which will, in turn, anchor your bridge. |
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| The conventional, "crown
retained" bridge is currently the most common method used and is, in many cases,
still the appropriate approach. |
Once your bridge is placed, it
looks and functions like your natural teeth. The decision of whether use this kind
of a bridge or an implant involves many factors, all of which can be discussed during your
consultation. |
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The
single tooth dental implant has revolutionized tooth replacement. Now, if you have
lost a tooth (or, as in some cases, a tooth never formed where it was supposed to), there
is no need to cap or crown your other teeth to provide a replacement. Your new
single tooth implant crown will feel natural and its neighboring teeth will remain
undisturbed. There is no possibility of food trapping underneath a false tooth, and
you can use floss the area just like you would your other teeth. Although there are
still many times when you should consider a conventional fixed bridge (such as when the
neighboring teeth would benefit from restoration with caps or crowns, anyway), the single
tooth implant is definitely the way to go if you are missing a few individual teeth, and
the rest of your teeth are basically healthy with minimal restorations
("fillings") |
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Your
implant is placed during an extremely gentle surgery; a surgery that most people
report is less involved than a tooth extraction. The implant remains hidden in place
for several months. |
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After
the implant has had time to integrate (fuse) with the bone tissue, a second, even smaller,
surgery is performed to connect the abutment to your implant. Shortly thereafter,
Dr. Hart makes a crown that fits the implant perfectly. |
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Your
final implant retained crown (or "cap"...caps and crowns are really two terms
for the same thing) exists in harmony with the rest of your teeth. The appearance,
feel, and function of your new crown is virtually identical to a natural tooth! |
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Return to the Main
Menu of the Implant Section |
Complimentary Consultation Policy:
Evaluating and Choosing a provider for your dental care, especially
regarding cosmetic procedures and / or implants, is an extremely personal decision.
As you gather information and opinions in the process of making your decision, you should
not have to pay for the proposals that are offered to you. In that we respect your
desire to make an informed choice, we offer our initial consultation free of charge with
the following considerations:
Our Basic Policy: Initial consultation is free
of charge. Dr. Hart will perform an examination and will verbally answer any
questions that you may have about your current condition and your potential care. If
you desire, he will also provide a written proposal for each of your treatment options, as
well as file any insurance preauthorizations that may be indicated. There will be no
fees charged for these documents. Consultation and examination of Temporomandibular
Disorders (TMD, TMJ) or examination for dental specific pain ("tooth ache") are
not included in our complimentary consultation program.
X-rays: Ideally, you should bring a full set of
individual ("peri-apical") x-rays that are as recent as possible.
Additionally, you should have a Panoramic X-ray of your upper and lower jaws
("Panorex"). This is especially important if you currently have, or are
considering, implants, dentures, or partial dentures. If you desire, we will process
a direct request for any X-rays that may be on file with your dentist on your behalf.
If you do not have any available X-rays, we will do our best to give you useful
information based on clinical examination. If it's agreeable to you, we will take
the minimum X-rays needed to appropriately diagnose your condition and give you meaningful
recommendations. These X-rays will be charged at our usual and customary fees
(listed below), and, at your discretion, will be filed in our records or given to you to
keep. If you have insurance, we will process all documents for you to help you
receive maximum benefits. Please keep in mind that we will never initiate any
fee-for-service activity without discussing it with you first. Following, please
find our X-ray fees for your review:
| Individual Periapical
X-ray: |
$ 15.00 |
| Additional Periapical
X-ray: |
$ 13.00 |
| Full Set (18) of
Periapical and "Bitewing" X-rays: |
$ 80.00 |
| Panoramic
("Panorex") X-ray: |
$ 60.00 |
Second Opinions: Our complimentary consultation
policy does apply to second opinions. However, please recognize that we can
only offer a verbal second opinion in this manner. Written reports are
subject to cost and professional time. If you desire such written reports, we will
discuss their cost with you during your complimentary consultation.
Waiver of Report Fees: Should you choose to pursue
treatment at our office, any written reports that were not required by you or your
representative as part of a legal matter (except for treatment proposals, which are
complimentary, anyway) that had been charged will be credited back at the conclusion of
your treatment with us.
Our office is an extremely "people oriented" office.
We have crafted our complimentary consultation policy to provide you with the best
opportunity to answer your questions and to "get a feel" as to your comfort
level with our staff and with Dr. Hart. If you have any questions whatsoever, please
do not hesitate to give Dana (our office manager) a call (414 / 962-1800 or 800 /
881-4144). She's really great at answering any questions you may have and giving
you a feel for our office and what we're all about! Finally, if you have a few
general questions you would like to ask Dr. Hart directly, he will be happy to come to the
phone or, if he's providing care, he will call you back as soon as possible.