Dental Implant FAQs

A dental implant is a titanium post that's implanted into your jawbone. Once the bone has healed around the implant, the post can be used to anchor a replacement tooth, bridge, or dentures.

As long as the jawbone and surrounding tissues are healthy, dental implants can be used to replace teeth that have been lost to trauma, decay, a failed root canal, root resorption, or periodontal disease.

According to the American Dental Association, replacing a missing tooth and maintaining its space is recommended.

If a missing tooth is not replaced, the neighboring teeth may shift or you may experience bone loss. A large space may affect the way you eat or chew.

Titanium is a biocompatible material, so your jawbone will grow around it and lock it into place. Once it has healed, we can install a variety of dental prostheses on the post, including a crown or bridge. For extensive tooth loss, implants may be used to anchor dentures.

There are fossil records indicating that people have tried to replace missing teeth with stone, ivory, and wood for millennia. Modern implants have been used successfully for more than 40 years.

Dental implant surgery is one of the safest procedures available. It's the only restoration method that stimulates the natural bone beneath your missing tooth.

Since each patient heals differently, there's no single answer to this question. Your dentist will provide you with an estimate of how many visits and how much chair time you should expect.

At Dental Associates of NEPA Dr. David Shemo DMD, we strive to provide pain-free dentistry. We offer full sedation, partial sedation, and local anesthetic. We use dental lasers when possible for the most successful, most comfortable implant placements.

Most patients take two or more months for the bone to heal around the implanted post. Once the bone has healed, your permanent replacement can be put in place.

A dental implant to replace one tooth costs the same as the average three-tooth bridge. The long-term costs of the implant are lower, however, because most bridges need to be replaced.

At Dental Associates of NEPA Dr. David Shemo DMD, we work hard to keep our rate reasonable and provide you with a variety of payment and financing options.

Dentists who have undergone specialized training are able to put implants in place. Dr. Shemo has extensive experience in dental implants, mini implants, and fully guided dental implants.