DENTAL IMPLANTS
Dr. Mark's true passion lies in the dental implant. Dr. Mark placed his first implant in 1987, training under implantology pioneer, Dr. Gerald, A. Niznick DMD, MSD. Dr. Niznick started his first implant venture as Core-Vent Corporation in 1982 which is now recognized as Zimmer Biomet Dental. He was also the president and founder of Implant Direct.
With 30 years of experience in the field, Dr. Mark is well versed in many different implant systems. This allows us flexibility when tailoring treatment options specifically to your needs. We not only place implants to replace single teeth but can also place implants in preparation for the fabrication of an implant supported partial or whole mouth prosthesis.
With 30 years of experience in the field, Dr. Mark is well versed in many different implant systems. This allows us flexibility when tailoring treatment options specifically to your needs. We not only place implants to replace single teeth but can also place implants in preparation for the fabrication of an implant supported partial or whole mouth prosthesis.
What Is An Implant?
An implant is essentially replacing the root of the tooth and can be stronger than your natural teeth. They are either made of titanium or zirconia. The advent of the dental implant allows for many dental restorations, primarily that of a single tooth. Before dental implants, if a tooth needed to be extracted, the options were to either do nothing and move on or to fabricate a bridge if the missing tooth has a tooth on either side of it. The drawback of a bridge was that you could have two perfectly healthy teeth on either side of the space which will now need to be cut down in order to place the bridge. Every time there is any work done on a tooth, there is a risk of the tooth becoming sensitive which may require root canal. What if you had to loose one of the teeth supporting the bridge? The entire bridge would be lost requiring additional work to be done on the next tooth over, risking sensitivity, and having a longer bridge. They are also notoriously known for being difficult to clean under.
The beauty of the dental implant is that it does not require any work to be done on any of the adjacent teeth. After the extraction of the problematic tooth, a single implant is placed and given about 3 months to heal. This is a rule of thumb for how long it takes for bone to turn over/regenerate. Unfortunately, you can't rush mother nature. The implant gains most of its strength through a process called osseointegration. The surface of the dental implant is etched on a microscopic level to allow your bone cells to grow into the implant in order to lock it in place/fuse to the bone. When the implant is healed, restoration of the tooth can begin. Be wary when you hear about getting an implant and walking out with the restoration the same day. If the implant is not given the proper time to heal, it may become loose. Any movement of the implant during this healing stage may inadvertently allow gingival tissue to grow into the socket preventing the ability for the bone cells to lock the implant in place.
The restoration of the implant is split into two parts, the abutment and the crown. The abutment screws into the top of the implant and the crown is cemented onto the abutment. An impression is first taken as to note the location of the implant. The impression is then sent off to the lab where the abutment will be custom milled. The crown is then fabricated based on the abutment.
The beauty of the dental implant is that it does not require any work to be done on any of the adjacent teeth. After the extraction of the problematic tooth, a single implant is placed and given about 3 months to heal. This is a rule of thumb for how long it takes for bone to turn over/regenerate. Unfortunately, you can't rush mother nature. The implant gains most of its strength through a process called osseointegration. The surface of the dental implant is etched on a microscopic level to allow your bone cells to grow into the implant in order to lock it in place/fuse to the bone. When the implant is healed, restoration of the tooth can begin. Be wary when you hear about getting an implant and walking out with the restoration the same day. If the implant is not given the proper time to heal, it may become loose. Any movement of the implant during this healing stage may inadvertently allow gingival tissue to grow into the socket preventing the ability for the bone cells to lock the implant in place.
The restoration of the implant is split into two parts, the abutment and the crown. The abutment screws into the top of the implant and the crown is cemented onto the abutment. An impression is first taken as to note the location of the implant. The impression is then sent off to the lab where the abutment will be custom milled. The crown is then fabricated based on the abutment.