Understanding Your Dental Implant Restoration Options

After dental implants are placed, patients typically undergo a recovery period during which the implant becomes an embedded part of the jaw bone. During this time, it is important that patients begin thinking about their restoration options.

Knowing your restoration options and understanding which best addresses your smile’s functional, health, and aesthetics needs is a key part of successful dental implant treatment.  For some, implant restoration is just a porcelain crown. For others, particularly those replacing multiple teeth with implant-supported restorations, the choices may be more varied.

Some of the most common implant restoration options include:

Porcelain Crowns:  For individuals using dental implants to replace one tooth, a porcelain crown is the restoration of choice. Designed to look just like natural teeth, crowns are highly resilient and easily replaceable in the event of accidental damage. As the crown is supported by the dental implant, patients do not need to worry about the alteration of neighboring teeth to support the restoration as they would with a bridge.

Bridges: Made of porcelain or porcelain fused to metal, implant-supported bridges are ideal for patients missing several teeth. While traditional bridges are held in place by a set of crowns attached to adjacent teeth, implant-supported bridges are attached to dental implants, eliminating the risk of damage to otherwise healthy teeth. Depending on the number of teeth being replaced, these fixed bridges can require anywhere from two to six dental implants. Implants are strategically placed to best support dental function and help patients enjoy improved bone density, protecting the shape of the face.

Overdentures: This treatment option is ideal for patients missing all the teeth in an arch as well as those looking to stabilize existing dentures, in particular those on the lower arch. Unlike implant-supported bridges, these implant dentures are removable, allowing patients to take out and replace their overdentures just like they would traditional dentures. In terms of aesthetics implant overdentures are less bulky than traditional, removable dentures.  

Dr. Amy Berhanu-Demissie offers a wide range of implant restoration options tailored to each patients’ health, function, and aesthetic needs. Following implant placement by a local oral surgeon, patients return to our Banning or San Bernardino practices to discuss which implant restoration will best meet their immediate and long-term goals. To learn more about implant dentistry in Banning and San Bernardino, contact Dr. Berhanu-Demissie today to schedule your restoration consultation.