Dental implant is used to replace missing roots and support replacement teeth, which may be fixed to the dental  implant (s). Or you may be able to take them out yourself.

Implants are not for everyone. You must be in good general health, have healthy gums and enough bone in your jaw to support the implant(s). You must be willing to see your dentist or dental specialist several times until the work is done, and take very good care of your implant(s). In addition, implants can cost more than other kinds of replacement teeth.

It’s normal for bone to shrink if it no longer has teeth to support. Because an implant sticks to bone, the bone is less likely to shrink. But if you have been missing teeth for some time, you may have lost bone. A bone graft can build up the bone so it can support an implant. When a bone graft is done, bone is added to the area where your jawbone has shrunk.

Here’s how an implant is done:

Step 1

3 dimensional scan of teeth performed using our intra-oral scanner and addition 3 dimensional x ray was done at the same time. These images over lapped and supper imposed,  using special software and all the surgery performed in the computer to fabricate #d print surgical stent. For almost all of the surgeries for implants, we prefer to use stent to improve the accuracy and comfort for the patients.

Guided implant

Step 2
We then place a very small metal post into your jawbone made from Titanium. We also perform PRF to add some bone volume to the site using patient own blood cell, studies showed that Platelets rich fibrin ( PRF) promotes the healing and reduces the post operative discomfort. At west Vancouver family dental PRF is becoming a norm for our Implant surgeries and bone grafts.

Step 3
Over time, the post will bond with the bone around it.

Step 4
The post (or dental implant) will act like an anchor to hold one or more false teeth in place.

Because implants stick to the bone, false teeth attached to implants look and act much like natural teeth. But implants are not as strong as natural teeth. You must brush and floss your implant(s) very carefully. Be gentle, but make sure you brush all sides of your implant(s). A toothbrush that has longer bristles at the tip may help clean behind your implant(s).

Floss very carefully at least once a day. You will need to be gentle with the floss where the implant meets the gum (called the gum line). You may find a floss threader useful for cleaning this area.

We Have Hiossen and Straumann dental implant system in West Van Family Dental Clinic;

We are placing dental implants using our guide surgery technology. In this system we use our intra-oral scanner to scan the teeth, after taking the three dimensional CT scan, we supper impose the x ray and oral scan together in the computer. Using digital software we plan the implant and 3D print surgical guide for placing dental implant in the most accurate position. This technique reduce the time of surgery and improve the healing time.