"Dr. Lunagaria was very gentle, very considerate, and made me feel very much at ease throughout the procedure. The extraction and the implant procedure were painless."
—Alice
Missing teeth are more than an aesthetic problem in your smile or an inconvenience. Bone loss occurs in your jaw when teeth are missing, and the teeth adjacent to the missing teeth can shift position and compromise your bite.
Because of modern technology, there is a wide variety of replacement options for missing teeth, and our office can provide you with restorations that are natural-looking, durable and long-lasting. By far, the most durable and lifelike replacement is a restoration supported by a dental implant or multiple dental implants. Dr. Lunagaria provides expert dental implant placement using advanced technology and minimally invasive procedures.
A dental implant is a titanium post that is inserted into the jaw to act as a replacement tooth root. A connecting piece known as an abutment is placed on top of the implant and functions as the attachment point for a dental crown, a dental bridge or a denture.
The bone into which the implant is placed fuses to (integrates with) the implant surfaces and strongly anchors the implant in the jaw, making it as strong as a regular tooth root. With today's technology, even patients with health situations such as heart disease, diabetes or a heavy smoking habit can safely receive and enjoy the benefits of dental-implant supported replacement teeth.
Learn more about the benefits and advantages of dental implants here.
Dr. Lunagaria has several options for replacing missing teeth, depending on your individual circumstances.
Dr. Lunagaria recommends dental implants wherever possible to replace individual missing teeth. Dental implants restore near total chewing power, provide the chewing pressure needed to maintain the bone volume around the tooth and keep the adjacent teeth stably in position. They are the strongest and most lifelike of all teeth replacement options, and with proper care can last a lifetime.
Although a dental bridge has long been the traditional option for replacing a missing tooth, you have to grind down the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth so the bridge can be anchored onto the them. This weakens those teeth and makes them susceptible to fracture and decay, and bone loss which occurs under the missing tooth can cause the adjacent teeth to shift. These factors can cause the bridge to fail in the future.
Dr. Lunagaria may recommend a dental bridge when the patient is too medically compromised to have success with surgeries or where the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth are already in a deteriorated condition and need dental crowns. Dr. Lunagaria designs bridges that are extremely comfortable, natural looking and fully functional.
Depending on which teeth are missing, each missing tooth can be replaced with a single implant or Dr. Lunagaria can place a series of implants to support a dental bridge. Implant-supported bridges have nearly the same biting and chewing power as normal teeth and help to preserve the bone in the jaw.
When this is not feasible, Dr. Lunagaria can place implants to support a partial denture that has special attachments allowing it to snap onto the implants and hold the denture snugly in place. This gives a significant boost in chewing power, provides some help to keep the bone volume from diminishing and is far superior to a regular partial denture. Partial dentures are a last resort, are only useful as a temporary solution, have only 10% of normal chewing power and do not prevent bone loss.
We have many options for replacing an entire arch of missing teeth.
By far, the strongest option would be a series of dental bridges supported by six or more implants placed across your dental arch.
The implant-supported bridges would have nearly the same biting and chewing power as natural teeth and would look, feel and function very much like natural teeth.
An economical option for replacing all your teeth is to have Dr. Lunagaria place a series of implants in strategic positions on each arch which will support a new full-arch set of teeth stably fixed onto the implants. These new teeth will have the biting and chewing power that is very close to that of regular teeth, will look totally natural, won't have the false palate covering the roof of your mouth and will not slip or irritate your gums.
Dr. Lunagaria will place four or more implants in each arch to support the new teeth. This creates maximum stability for the teeth and provides the most durable result. In the vast majority of cases, he can perform the entire procedure, including any needed extractions, and have you walking out with new teeth the same day!
Your new denture teeth will look totally natural, and will be made out of high-quality acrylic in dimensions that fill out your natural face shape.
Dr. Lunagaria can create a new denture that he supports with dental implants for added stability and chewing power. The most economical implant-supported dentures have attachments on the implants and the underside of the dentures that allow the denture and implants to snap together, but still allow the dentures to be removed.
Dr. Lunagaria will place four or more implants in the upper arch and two or more implants in the lower arch to provide the support base for the denture. Dentures supported this way will not slip, need no adhesives and achieve a significant gain in biting and chewing power over regular dentures. The pressure on the implants will additionally help prevent bone loss in the jaw.
If you are already wearing dentures and they are in good condition, Dr. Lunagaria may be able to retrofit the denture with special attachments that allow the denture to snap onto implants. This procedure is known as denture stabilization. A minimum of two implants will be used to stabilize the denture. The more implants per arch, the better the stabilization.
Denture stabilized with implants will fit more snugly, will not slip and will provide a boost in biting and chewing power.
Our office can provide dentures and they will be meticulously fabricated to fit well and will look totally natural. Dr. Nadler uses special techniques from his advanced training in cosmetic dentistry, as well as a high-quality dental lab, to improve the comfort of your dentures and appearance of your smile.
Find out which option will work best for you to replace your missing teeth, and how dental implants can work for you to give you durable, lifelike replacement teeth that can last a lifetime. Your complimentary consultation will include:
To make an appointment, call us at (908) 359-6655 or click here to request an appointment online.