Category: Dental Implants

If you’re considering getting dental implants in Pittsburgh, you should give careful consideration to who should perform the procedure. While many dentists across varying specialties advertise this service, and many are competent in it, the best chance of success comes from someone who specializes in the supporting structures of a mouth—in other words, a periodontist.

However realistic a dental implant may look, it isn’t living tissue. The only living tissue at an implant site is the gum and bone being operated on—the primary focus of a periodonist’s training. This expertise comes in handy before, during, and after the process of placing an implant. Before, we need to monitor the health of your mouth and make sure you’re in the best shape possible, to give the implant its best chance of success. During, we work with the bone and gum to fit them around the implant in a way that is secure, natural, and comfortable. And afterward, one of the most important things to do is to monitor the implant site for signs of any complications.

The need for a periodontist’s specialized knowledge becomes even more apparent when you consider that most tooth loss in adults is due to periodontal disease. If you have lost teeth to anything other than a sudden accident, chances are the infection remains active. A dental implant can’t be placed in infected tissue without risking implant failure; instead, the infection must be treated to prepare you for the implant procedure. Every day, we clean and disinfect irritated periodontal pockets. Our office is even equipped with a soft tissue laser which we can use to sterilize infected gum tissue and encourage new growth. To create the perfect environment for implants, no one is better equipped or qualified than a periodontist.

If you are missing teeth, Dr. Silberg can provide all the care you need. The Silberg Center for Dental Science is the first choice among Pittsburgh Periodontists for many. Call us today, and start on the path to a healthy, brilliant smile.

After going through life with a few missing teeth, you might feel ready to meet with Dr. Silberg to have a few dental implants placed. However, just because those implants are man-made doesn’t mean that they require any less care than your normal teeth. Here is some crucial information regarding dental implant maintenance.

How To Care for Dental Implants

If you care about your implants, make sure to take care of them. Here are a few ways to keep those new teeth pristine:

• Brush Twice Daily: Plaque and tartar can build on your implants just like your regular teeth, which is why brushing is so important.
• Floss Around the Implants: Bacteria can collect between your teeth and feast on food particles, which can irritate your gums and cause problems with your implants. To make flossing easier, some periodontists recommend interdental cleaners or irrigation flossers for people with dental implants. Both devices are gentle and easy to use. Irrigation flossers even have adjustable water jet levels, which makes it easier to blast away debris.  
• Use Products Made For Implants: Think twice before you use that heavily abrasive toothpaste. Instead, ask Dr. Silberg which toothpastes are safe for the smooth surface of your dental implants. If you aren’t careful or you use the wrong products, you could permanently scratch your implants.  

Also, don’t forget to schedule regular dental checkups with your dentist. If you get your dental implants from the Silberg Center for Dental Science, Dr. Silberg offers free annual implant check-ups for the first three years after placement. He also guarantees your satisfaction, and will address any concerns that you have promptly.

The Importance of Diet and Exercise

Proper diet and exercise can do more than tone your physique. In addition to helping you to fight obesity and disease, staying fit can also help you to keep your jawbone healthy and strong. Exercise can also improve circulation, which can keep your dental implants anchored in place. Eating crunchy fruits and vegetables can also help to stimulate your jawbone, so that the bone stays strong and resilient against damage.  

Know the Signs of Problems

If you want to make your dental implants last and last, it is also important to be able to identify signs of problems early on. Pay attention for issues like red, swollen gum tissue or an uncomfortable implant. Never assume that a dental implant problem will go away on its own. Instead, report new symptoms to Dr. Silberg, who can inspect the area and treat the problem quickly and effectively.

 

Dental implants are often utilized when a patient is missing one or more teeth. It acts as a substitute for the missing tooth; restoring function to the patient’s mouth while improving the aesthetics of the patient’s smile. Just like your regular teeth, dental implants require special care in order to keep your oral health in good standing. We’ve provided some dental implant care tips to help our patients get a better understanding of how to care for them!

Dental Implant Cleaning and Caring

You ultimately need to care for your dental implants like you would your natural teeth. This means that you’ll need to practice good oral hygiene in order to prevent diseases from occurring. You will need to utilize standard home oral care like teeth brushing, flossing, and mouth rinsing alongside regular dental visits and professional cleanings. When brushing and flossing at home, make sure you are using proper technique so that you don’t harm your natural teeth.

Beyond that, you’ll need additional dental tools to properly take care of your dental implants. There are numerous products out there that can assist you with cleaning your dental implants. We can recommend some of these products for you based off of your own individual needs. For example, there are water picks and toothbrushes that have various attachments with angled necks or also they can apply a different kind of pressure to allow for the utmost cleaning. There also are flossing tools that can help clean around the dental implant and prevent infection for stuck food particles. Infection around the base of your dental implant can cause it to loosen and ultimately fall out.

Once you have a dental implant placed, it is very important that you maintain it properly. In the end, you want to be sure that you are not only using the right cleaning techniques, but that you also have the right dental tools that you need to care for them.
You’ll want to remember these key pieces of information when practicing proper dental implant care:

• Utilize proper technique: when it comes to your dental implants, you need to exercise proper dental care. This includes flossing and brushing in the right way.
• Use the right tool for the right job: dental implants can require additional dental tools beyond floss and a toothbrush. Speak with a Dr. Silberg and he’ll be able to recommend any specific tools that you’ll need for your dental implants.
• Get help: If you need to reach out and ask some questions about your dental implant visit with Dr. Silberg and make sure you get the help that you need. This includes regular checkups with Dr. Silberg and cleaning appointments.

Questions?

Taking proper care of your dental implants is the most important thing you can do for your oral health. Your dental implants serve a major role in your overall well being and the aesthetics of your smile. Should you have any questions regarding dental implant care, please do not hesitate to contact us!

When most people lose a tooth, they start thinking about how it will affect their appearance. Unfortunately, most people imagine gap-toothed photos instead of life-altering bone loss. Believe it or not, if your teeth go missing and they aren’t replaced the right way, you might be left suffering with more negative consequences than you think.

Tooth Loss Can Affect More Than Your Teeth

In addition to helping you to chew your food, your teeth also help to stimulate your jawbone and keep your mouth healthy. Unfortunately, missing teeth can cause these problems:

• Missing Jaw Tissue: Your teeth are held in place by strong ligaments that are rooted in your jawbone. As you talk and chew, the impact stimulates these ligaments, which keeps your jawbone strong. Unfortunately, after a tooth is lost, your jaw won’t receive this stimulation, and the bone will actually start to shrink away. In fact, most people lose about 25% of jawbone width within the first year of missing a tooth.
• Altered Face Shape: Once your jawbone has started to melt away, it can start to affect the shape of your entire face. Over time, a smaller jawbone might make the lower part of your face look caved in, like someone who is elderly.

How Dental Implants Can Help

Fortunately, you don’t have to let a missing tooth destroy your physical appearance. Because dental implants are anchored directly to your jaw with a strong abutment, they stimulate your bone tissue just like your natural teeth.

However, keep in mind that dental implants need to be placed soon after you lose your teeth to avoid problems. If your jawbone has melted away, your dentist might have to place bone grafts near the area of the missing tooth to properly anchor your implant. Without this graft, your implant might not be as strong as surrounding teeth.

To avoid problems, meet with your dentist as soon as one of your teeth falls out. In addition to patching up your smile with a temporary bridge or false tooth, your dentist can start making plans for how your implant should be placed.

The Cosmetic Benefits of Dental Implants

Are you worried that your dental implant will stick out like a sore thumb? Believe it or not, dental implants look even more natural than porcelain veneers, since the surface is level with the rest of your natural teeth. Dental implants can even be dyed to match surrounding teeth, so that you won’t have to worry about color inconsistencies.

There have been many great advances in dentistry with new and modern practices. Some of these advances have even helped with our general life expectancy and quality of life. But when it comes to getting older, or some conditions in our medical history, we might often then lose some of our teeth. After a significant amount of time with the loss of teeth, there will be bone loss and with modern dentistry it can be reversed.

When we lose teeth for various reasons, the space where the tooth previously was, loses its stimulation and blood flow. In order to have a healthy jaw, it needs the constant stimulation of every day chewing. This creates stimulation to the muscles around the bone, and keeps the bone healthy as well. So when we lose our teeth, and don’t immediately have a graft or dental implant installed, that current structure might collapse due to atrophy. This type of bone loss was ignored in the past by traditional dentistry.

With the loss of teeth, the bone loss first starts with a decrease in width. This is a 25% decrease in width during the first year, and an inch decrease in height following multiple extractions. If a denture or partial is given, this can cause discomfort and pain because the thin gum tissue is laying over a narrow bone.

Nerves in the lower jaw that were previously protected by bone, end up becoming exposed and then sit on top of the ridge, right under the denture. This results in acute pain and/or temporary to permanent sensation loss or feeling. If you have bone loss in the upper jaw, it might cause pain and increase the chances of the upper denture moving during eating. Chewing with a denture that’s moving or is wrongly fitted does not cause stimulation, but instead reduces the blood supply and increases the chances or more bone loss.

Cosmetic Effects of Tooth/Bone Loss

The effects of bone loss are not only detrimental to your jaw, but it does cause your facial appearance to change. The loss of teeth can actually add a decade or more years to the face. Your facial height decreases, and causes several facial changes. With the loss of vertical bone, the bite relationship diminishes and as a result, the chin rotates forward giving a poorer appearance. It also causes the patient to look like they’re constantly frowning. Then the muscle that is lost, start to show in the upper lip and creates more long lines around the mouth, and a deepening of the groove next to the nose.

Health Effects

A recent study of denture wearers found that almost half showed a low chewing performance, which resulted in lower intakes of fruits and vegetables. Those patients also took significantly more medications compared to those with superior chewing ability, and almost 30% were taking medications for stomach or intestinal disorders. The study provides several reports that suggest that compromised dental function results in poor swallowing and chewing performance. This also results in illness favoring, debilitation, negative effects on overall health, and shortened life expectancy.

Benefits of Dental Implants

Now that modern dentists know about bone loss after tooth loss or removal, the main procedure to fix the gap where the tooth has been lost, is dental implants. When the dental implants are going to be surgically placed, sometimes a bone graft is need for those areas with bone loss or in the sinus cavity. After the bone grafting is successful, they install the post directly into the jaw bone. This stimulates bone growth and blood supply, and ultimately improves all of the disadvantages from bone loss.

So if you or anyone in your family have had tooth removal and/or loss, and are interested in dental implants, please contact us at The Silberg Center for Dental Science. Dr. Silberg can address any of your needs and get you on your way back to a healthy, beautiful smile.

The advantages of dental implants are well known. They provide confidence and security for your new teeth and your new smile, support and maintain your jaw bone and facial structure, and they’re more reliable than other treatments. But once you’ve gotten your dental implants, maintenance is vital, just as it is for natural teeth. How can you maintain them so they’ll remain clean, safe and effective for as long as possible?

Believe it or not, the strategies to keeping your dental implants fresh and healthy are the same as the ones you use to take care of your natural teeth. And just like natural teeth, failure to properly care for them can cause gum disease, damage to the prosthetic teeth, or in more serious cases, loss of gum tissue or loss of bone. Severe damage can even necessitate the removal of the implants and surgical procedures to correct damage to the tissues and structure of the mouth.

But all that can be prevented by simple hygiene and regular trips to the dentist. It is important to brush your teeth, natural and prosthetic, at least twice a day for about 90 seconds per brushing. When brushing, be sure to brush every surface, even hard to reach places in the back. Brushing by itself, however, won’t get all of the food remnants or plaque from between your teeth that will eat at the base of your teeth and possibly cause gum disease. Regular, proper flossing is necessary to remove the plaque and prevent infection. Use a long strand of floss or flossing tool to thoroughly scrape all tooth surfaces in the spaces between teeth. Using a water jet instead of floss can be easier to get gunk out and easier on the gums.

Another important aspect of proper dental care is regular trips to come see Dr. Silberg for both check-ups and cleaning. These visits should occur every six months at the very most. Dr. Silberg will x-ray your implants and probe the gums around them to ensure that the gums are healthy and everything is going well with the implants. He will also perform a professional cleaning, removing plaque you may have missed. You can also take the opportunity to review your hygiene habits and supplies and ask him any questions you may have.

With these simple steps, it’s an easy thing to keep your implants clean and your mouth healthy, which makes life a more pleasant place to be and helps you avoid the sorrow of oral disease or loss of implants. Schedule a checkup and cleaning appointment with us today so we can help keep your smile sparkling

Are Dental Implants Right For You?

For many, dental implants offer a better alternative to traditional prosthetics for missing teeth. Dental implants:

• Can be matched and fitted to your existing, healthy teeth.
• Have a high track record of success.
• Offer cosmetic enhancement over other tooth replacement solutions.

We offer some basic background on dental implants, a great start for research if you are considering dental implants over other solutions, such as dentures, crowns, and bridges.

What is a Dental Implant?

A dental implant is a three-tiered approach to tooth replacement. There are three parts of a dental implant:

• Implant: The implant is a metal post, most often titanium, that is implanted into the jawbone…a replacement for your tooth root.
• Abutment: The part of the implant that connects to the steel post and holds the new crown in place.
• Crown: The crown is the actual tooth replacement, most often made of a ceramic material such as porcelain, that is custom-designed to match with your existing teeth.

What’s the Implant Process Like?

The dental implant process is as diverse as the patient. Certain situations may require bone grafting to make sure that your implants stay. Generally, it takes about six months to a year to make sure that your dental implants are fitted perfectly. Here is what the general timeline looks like:

• Phase 1: After a consultation and treatment design, Dr. Silberg will fit the implants. The procedure usually takes only one clinic visit. After the implants are fitted, you will wear temporary dentures or bridges. After 3-6 months, your implants will bond to your jaw—the process of osseointegration.
• Phase 2:  Dr. Silberg will fit the abutment, and you will continue to wear your “temporary teeth” for another 2-6 weeks.
• Phase 3: After the second phase, Dr. Silberg will start fitting the actual “tooth” component of your implant. You will try out several different crowns to match your implant to your existing teeth.

Depending upon Dr. Silberg’s approach and planning, you can fully enjoy your dental implants within six months, at the earliest.

What Might Not Make Me a Good Fit for Dental Implants?

Certain medical conditions and lifestyle habits might make a patient a poor candidate for dental implants. Dr. Silberg will advise you if dental implants are not a good fit for you. Here are some of the medical conditions and lifestyle habits that might complicate a dental implant:

• Diabetes, smoking, and heavy drug use are conditions that may cause peri-implantitis, an inflammation of hard and soft tissues surrounding an implant.
• Bone loss, associated with osteoporosis and long-term steroid use, can impact your jawbones, decreasing the success of an implant.
• Poor oral hygiene, after the implant process, can cause failure of a dental implant.

If you have poor oral hygiene, your Dr. Silberg will likely provide you with coaching to help you take care of your implants.

Are Dental Implants Worth It?

Many people are great candidates for dental implants…and yes, they are worth it. Here are some of the benefits of dental implants over other treatments:

• Dental replacements will not require the grinding down and modification of other teeth associated with other treatments such as bridges.
• You probably will never have to worry about a dental implant failing, where crowns can slip off and bridges can create further dental decay.
• Dentures will need continuous refinement, as your jawbone will change shape without teeth to support the structure of your jaw

Dental implants can also be fitted to other treatments. At times Dr. Silberg will use an implant to anchor a bridge, creating a more affordable treatment if a patient can afford only a few implants.

Contact Dr. Silberg today to see if you are a good fit for dental implants, or have additional questions about the procedure and all that is involved. We would be happy to help you

When receiving dental implants, there are a few things that need to be addressed beforehand in order to have a smooth and unproblematic outcome so that you can enjoy your brand new smile.

In the first stage of your journey to new teeth, there’s an examination by Dr. Silberg which includes a 3D CT-scan and an impression that’s made of your mouth. This is to ensure the teeth to be made, will fit with precision, and to check if you have enough bone to support the implant.

Everything is reviewed by Dr. Silberg and our staff  to determine what needs to be done to give you optimal results with your implants which can differ depending on which teeth were lost and need replacing. Often times you need something called a Sinus Lift Bone Graft. This procedure is often performed for a few different reasons. If you’ve lost your upper posterior teeth due to periodontal disease, have a thin amount of bone in your upper jaw, or have your maxillary sinus (the area behind your nose and above your mouth) too close to your upper jaw for the implants to be placed. If this is the case then you will need a sinus graft for your dental implants.

The teeth included in the section that affects how your sinus functions, are the cuspids (canines), bicuspids (premolars), and remaining molars. When receiving a graft, the bone may come from your own hip or tibia (autogenous bone), a cadaver (allogeneic bone), or from cow bone (xenograft). Dr. Silberg will use your CT-scan to study the anatomy of your jaw and sinus, and if needed will also get X-rays before your sinus lift. This will allow Dr. Silberg to accurately measure the height and width of your existing bone, and to evaluate the health of your sinus.

Note: If you have seasonal allergies let Dr. Silberg know, this may affect determination of your procedure because the sinus swells during these times and may not produce an accurate reading.

When receiving a sinus lift, Dr. Silberg will cut the gum tissue where your back molars used to be, and raise it to expose the bone. A small oval incision is opened in your bone. The membrane lining the sinus is gently pushed up, away from your jaw. You will then receive granules of the bone-grafting material and have them packed into the space where the sinus was. It is only a few millimeters of bone that is added, but it will allow your dental implant and sinus to be comfortable and free of the chance for infection. After the bone is in place, your oval window is sewn up. You will need four to nine months of healing and growing time, but that  is determined by the amount of bone needed.

After this procedure is complete it is common to have swelling and bleeding from the mouth or nose. It is imperative for you to not to blow their nose or sneeze forcefully as much as possible. This keeps the bone-graft material from moving, or loosening the stitches.

Like we said it takes several months for the bony material heal. It will begin to harden and mesh with your jaw, and depending on the material that was used, your dental implants can be placed in four to nine months.

There are some dentists that are now using proteins called growth factors to help your new bone harden faster than traditional methods. This platelet-rich plasma contains growth factors, and is taken from your blood before surgery, and is then mixed with the bone graft that is placed within your sinus. There is also a human-recombinant bone morphogenetic protein available which is an engineered protein. This stimulates bone formation without grafting. It is also US FDA approved to be used during a sinus lift procedure.

After you’re all healed, you can begin the next step which is to receive your dental implants. While getting implants in the upper area of your mouth, you will need a wider post to create better stability and keep them secured inside of your graft. This will also stabilizes the rest of your implants in the front of your upper jaw. On rare occasions, your dental implants will not take because the graft material and your existing bone don’t develop a blood supply. If this happens, a sinus lift can be repeated with even better odds of success.

If you are interested learning more, or have additional questions about receiving dental implants, please reach out to us. The Silberg Center for Dental Science is dedicated in providing the most up to date information for dental procedures, and we are dedicated to helping you with your new smile.

If you are like most people, missing a few teeth can put a serious cramp in your day-to-day activities. In addition to making it more difficult to chew food, you might find yourself trying to skip family photos or laugh with your mouth closed. Unfortunately, if you don’t feel comfortable wearing dentures or fussing with partial bridges, hiding might seem like your only option. However, dental implants are a superior remedy that can offer you these benefits:

1: Comfort

If you don’t like dealing with adhesives or worrying about your dentures popping loose during your next golf game, you might be a little concerned about getting fitted for dentures. Partial bridges can also be embarrassing, since friends and family members might be able to spot the mouthpiece wires when you talk or laugh.

Fortunately, dental implants are a comfortable alternative that you will love for years. Since dental implants are actually anchored into your jawbone, they function just like normal teeth. In addition to staying where they should, dental implants are comfortable and don’t require extra care. By continuing to brush and floss, you can keep your new teeth pristine.

2: Aesthetics

Are you worried about your smile transforming overnight? One of the best things about dental implants is that they are custom crafted for each patient, so they look just like your regular teeth. On the other hand, if you want to improve your smile, dental implants can be designed to meet your needs. Dr. Silberg can alter the shape and color of each implant so that you gain the smile you have always wanted.

Also, since the implants are placed directly into your jawbone, you won’t have to worry about those tell-tell signs of dental work, like strange gum lines or mis-matched teeth. Dental implants look more natural for each patient, so that you can smile, eat, and laugh without worry.

3: Bone Loss Prevention

One of the most important reasons to choose dental implants over other alternatives is that they can prevent bone loss. As you chew and talk, your naturally rooted teeth stimulate your jawbone, keeping the entire area healthy. Unfortunately, if you choose dentures, the underlying bone won’t be as stimulated, which will cause your jawbone to melt away and resorb. However, dental implants stimulate your jawbone just like your natural teeth, protecting your face shape and keeping your surrounding dental structures healthy.

If dental implants sound like something that would work for you, talk with Dr. Silberg at your next appointment.

 

Dental implants are often utilized when a patient is missing one or more teeth. It acts as a substitute for the missing tooth; restoring function to the patient’s mouth while improving the aesthetics of the patient’s smile. Just like your regular teeth, dental implants require special care in order to keep your oral health in good standing. We’ve provided some dental implant care tips to help our patients get a better understanding of how to care for them!

Dental Implant Cleaning and Caring

You ultimately need to care for your dental implants like you would your natural teeth. This means that you’ll need to practice good oral hygiene in order to prevent diseases from occurring. You will need to utilize standard home oral care like teeth brushing, flossing, and mouth rinsing alongside regular dental visits and professional cleanings. When brushing and flossing at home, make sure you are using proper technique so that you don’t harm your natural teeth.

Beyond that, you’ll need additional dental tools to properly take care of your dental implants. There are numerous products out there that can assist you with cleaning your dental implants. We can recommend some of these products for you based off of your own individual needs. For example, there are water picks and toothbrushes that have various attachments with angled necks or also they can apply a different kind of pressure to allow for the utmost cleaning. There also are flossing tools that can help clean around the dental implant and prevent infection for stuck food particles. Infection around the base of your dental implant can cause it to loosen and ultimately fall out.

Once you have a dental implant placed, it is very important that you maintain it properly. In the end, you want to be sure that you are not only using the right cleaning techniques, but that you also have the right dental tools that you need to care for them.
You’ll want to remember these key pieces of information when practicing proper dental implant care:

• Utilize proper technique: when it comes to your dental implants, you need to exercise proper dental care. This includes flossing and brushing in the right way.
• Use the right tool for the right job: dental implants can require additional dental tools beyond floss and a toothbrush. Speak with a Dr. Silberg and he’ll be able to recommend any specific tools that you’ll need for your dental implants.
• Get help: If you need to reach out and ask some questions about your dental implant visit with Dr. Silberg and make sure you get the help that you need. This includes regular checkups with Dr. Silberg and cleaning appointments.

Questions?

Taking proper care of your dental implants is the most important thing you can do for your oral health. Your dental implants serve a major role in your overall well being and the aesthetics of your smile. Should you have any questions regarding dental implant care, please do not hesitate to contact us!