Implant Restorations

Implant restorations are sturdier than restorations without implant support, allowing them to function just like your natural teeth. Sean Monaghan, DMD, Gina Petrarca, DDS, and the team at Cole Street Dental in Enumclaw, Washington, design your implant restorations to look indistinguishable from your natural teeth before placing them atop permanent dental implants. Call Cole Street Dental or book an appointment online to find out if you’re a candidate for implant-supported restorations today.

What are implant restorations?

Implant restorations are replacement teeth that attach to dental implants — screw-like devices placed in your jawbone to support restorations. Common implant restorations are:

• Crowns
• Bridges
• Partial implant-supported dentures
• Full implant-supported dentures

The team at Cole Street Dental designs your implant restorations to blend in perfectly in your smile, looking almost exactly like your natural teeth. With implant support, a crown, bridge, or denture can withstand the force of your bite so you can bite, chew, and speak normally. 

What is the process of getting implant restorations?

Getting dental implants and implant restorations involves multiple visits to Cole Street Dental. After the process of planning your treatment, the first surgery involves placing the dental implant (or multiple dental implants) into your jawbone. The team makes an incision in your gums to access the bone and screws in the titanium implant. 

The healing period between implant surgery and the placement of your restorations is three months. That gives your jawbone time to fuse to the implant in a process called osseointegration, essentially making the implant a permanent feature in your jaw. 

During a later visit, the team exposes the implant, sanitizes it, and attaches your custom restoration. Some restorations are screw-retained while others are cement-retained. The team helps you decide which is best. 

Am I a good candidate for dental implants?

Before getting implant restorations, you must find out if you’re a good candidate for dental implants. Dental implants make your mouth more functional if you’re missing one or more teeth, but they’re not the best tooth replacement option for everyone. 

The Cole Street Dental team evaluates your oral health using an examination and X-rays to determine if you can safely get dental implants. You may be able to replace your missing teeth with implant restorations if you:

• Are generally healthy
• Don’t have gum disease
• Have enough bone mass in your jaw
• Are committed to oral hygiene and health care

If you lost one or more teeth a while ago, bone resorption may have happened in your jaw. That means your bone isn’t dense enough to support a dental implant. Your dentist at Cole Street Dental may recommend a bone graft to increase your jawbone density in preparation for dental implants. 

Call Cole Street Dental or schedule an implant restoration consultation online to find out if you’re a good candidate for dental implants today.