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Dental Implants in Gretna, LA

At NOLA Dentures and General Dentistry, Dr. Schafer works hard to make people love their smile again. Part of making a person love their smile is making teeth feel natural and comfortable. Often times when a tooth is missing the best way to replace it is with a dental implant.

What is a dental implant

A dental implant is an artificial titanium root that is placed the jaw bone. The implant is connected to a prosthesis such as an artificial tooth or a denture by an implant abutment.

Dental Implant Advantages

Dental Implants offer a few key advantages for patients. The biggest advantage to a dental implant is that an implant does not get a cavity on it. While an implant still needs to be cleaned like a regular tooth, the fact that it is resistant to the same bacteria that causes about half of teeth to be lost is a huge advantage. The implants must still have regular dental professional cleanings because they are still susceptible to periodontal or gum infections as the gums and the jaw bone are what holds the implant. The second advantage is that a dental implant helps keep the surrounding bone in good health because it makes the bone be used. When an implant is placed and chewing is done on the implant, the bone that holds the implant tends to strengthen and not deteriorate compared to areas where a tooth is removed and not replaced with an implant. The third advantage of an implant is that you get a tooth back and it feels natural again. The implant essentially functions like a tooth and feels normal to your cheeks and tongue.

Dental Implant Process

To place a dental implant properly, Dr. Schafer breaks down the process into three steps: planning, surgery, and restoration.

At the first visit for a dental implant, Dr. Schafer takes models on the jaw as well as a 3d x-rays and camera photos. With this information, he is able to plan exactly where the implant should be placed so that it heals well and predictably but also will function well. Dr. Schafer plans out his implants with Blue Sky Bio software so that he can fabricate a surgical guide to show him exactly where the implant should be placed. Dr. Schafer creates prints the surgical guide using his 3d printer.

At the second visit, Dr. Schafer performs the minor surgery required to place an implant. Surgery is typically takes one hour of a single tooth to two hours if it is multiple teeth. Dr. Schafer numbs the area of the surgery, makes a small incision on the gums, and then places the implant. Afterwards, a stitch is placed on the gums to cover and to protect the implant. After the implant is placed in the jaw bone, the bone heals around the implant because the implant has a special coating around it that encourages the bone to mold around it.

The third visit happens between three to six months later where the implant is exposed. At that time a healing collar is placed on the implant to allow the gums to heal around the implant. The healing collar also shows Dr. Schafer where the future crown or denture will be placed. After the gums have healed, the crown is placed or the denture is attached so that the entire process is complete.

Maintaining a dental implant

Dental implants still need to be cleaned like regular teeth even though they do not get cavities. The reason is that the gums and bone which support the implant are still susceptible to infection. Cleaning around a dental implant is the same as cleaning around a tooth. The same tooth paste and floss is used. Dr. Schafer likes to also give his dental implant patients a prescription mouth rinse called peridex which helps kill harmful bacteria. Peridex is a similar medication used by orthopedic surgeons to clean surgical sites and it works extremely well keeping the mouth healthy.

How to get a dental implant?

Dental implants are a wonderful dental restoration because they give a patient back a tooth. If you feel like you would benefit from getting a dental implant, please give us a call at 504-392-5104 and we will help you out.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is dental bone grafting?

Patients who lived with tooth loss or struggled with periodontitis (advanced gum disease) may experience bone loss. Since you need enough bone structure to have success supporting a tooth implant, patients with bone loss often weren't considered good candidates for dental implants. But these days, we have other solutions that make dental implants in Gretna accessible to almost every patient.

If you don't have sufficient healthy bone left where we're planning to place an implant, Dr. Schafer will often place a bone graft. The bone graft helps widen and rebuild so that the implant heals better and has less chance of failing.

During bone grafting, Dr. Schafer uses synthetic bone material to rebuild your jawbone that integrates over time with your natural bone. This process takes about three to six months. Once your bone is healed, he will place your dental implant during a surgical procedure and then allow it time to heal and fuse with your bone.

If you've been told in the past that you're not a candidate for dental implants, Dr. Schafer would love to talk with you about bone grafting and your options for tooth replacement. Our dental office proudly serves the communities of Gretna, Timberlane, Belle Chase, Marrero Harvey, Terrytown, and Woodmere.

Do implants hurt?

Many people are concerned about whether or not to get an implant because they fear the pain. This fear is completely understandable; however, most patients do pretty well with it. Many patients have told us that over the counter pain medication such as Advil or Tylenol has taken care of the pain. Of course for our implant patients, we do prescribe prescription painkillers just in case our patients need it. After the implants have healed and have attached to the bone, they feel natural and most patients do not even realize that they are even there.

How many implants are needed for a lower denture?

As mentioned on other pages, lower dentures are generally more difficult to use than upper dentures as there is little to no suction. However, with implants, we can make the lower denture have the same or better suction than the upper. The minimum number of implants for the lower is two, but three or four can make an even better improvement. The best analogy is to think of a stool. A two-legged stool requires you to balance on it to stay upright; however, a three or four-legged stool does even better to distribute the force.

The Benefits of Implants for Lower Dentures

The most rewarding part of placing these implants is the look on patient's faces who have worn a lower denture for a long time when the implants are connected to the denture. The eyes light up as they realize that the denture doesn't require the same balancing act with the lips, tongue, and cheeks. Many of these patients immediately go out and enjoy food that they have not had in a long time.

Why do I need to take a 3D x-ray for a dental implant?

Dental implants are artificial titanium roots that are placed in the jaw bone beneath the gums. Standard dental x-rays are useful for seeing bone levels as well as other issues like cavities and gum disease but they are useful for seeing how much bone is present everywhere as they are two dimensional. A 3D x-ray is needed for the dentist to see the different structure of bone in the area as well as the best way to place the implant so that it heals well and can easily have a tooth placed on top of it.

What is guided dental implant surgery?

Guided dental implant surgery is a tool Dr. Schafer uses to help him place dental implants quickly and effectively. With guided surgery, a lot of the guess work is removed from the dental implant process. By scanning in models taken of the patient's mouth and merging them using specific implant software, Dr. Schafer can design a surgical guide so that he knows exactly where to place the implant. This ensures that the patient gets the best placed implant each time predictably.

Meet Our Doctor:

Russell Schafer DDS

Dr. Russell Schafer is happy and proud to call New Orleans his home. He was born in New Orleans, raised in Pearl River, and attended Jesuit High School and graduated in 2003. He went to Rice University in Houston where he graduated with a bachelors and masters in mechanical engineering degree. While at Rice, Dr. Schafer was a a cheerleader for all four years, active in Rice Catholic Student Association as well as student government, and tutored fellow students as well. Before attending dental school, Dr. Schafer spent ...

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Dental Implants Technology

Blue Sky Bio

Dr. Schafer uses the dental modeling software called Blue Sky Bio. He mainly uses this software to design both his one day dentures and 3d printed dentures. Dr. Schafer scans in models of the upper and lower jaw as well as a bite using his shining 3D scanner and is then able to choose the teeth that best fit the person’s face. Dr. Schafer also uses this software to plan out implant cases. He merges a 3d x-ray as well as a 3d model and is able to evaluate the best position for an implant so that the tooth looks great and feels natural as well.

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We provide Convenient Care. Local Comfort. We are Located on Behrman Hwy in Gretna, LA