Surgical Implant Placements

At Silicon Valley Smile Solutions, Dr. HagShenas offers you the ability to have your dental implants surgically placed, and restored, all in our office!

A dental implant is a “tooth root” replacement, usually made of titanium, and is used in dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth that replace missing teeth.

Surgical Dental Implant Placements

Virtually all dental implants placed today are root-form endosseous implants, i.e., they appear similar to an actual tooth root (and thus possess a “root-form”) and are placed within the bone. The bone of the jaw accepts and integrates with the titanium post.

Osseointegration refers to the fusion of the implant surface with the surrounding bone. Dental implants will fuse with bone, however they lack the periodontal ligament, so they will feel slightly different than natural teeth during chewing.

Prior to commencement of surgery, careful and detailed planning is conducted by Dr. HagShenas to identify vital structures such as the inferior alveolar nerve or the sinus, as well as the shape and dimensions of the bone to properly orient the implants for the most predictable outcome. Two-dimensional radiographs, such as panographs or periapical x-rays are often taken prior to the surgery. Sometimes, a CT scan will also be obtained. Specialized 3D CAD/CAM computer programs may be used to plan your case.

A surgical ‘stent’ may sometimes be used to facilitate the placement of implants. A surgical stent is an acrylic wafer that fits over either the teeth, the bone surface or the mucosa (when all the teeth are missing) with pre-drilled holes to show the position and angle of the implants to be placed.

At Silicon Valley Smile Solutions, patients can sometimes receive the dental implant and the restoration (teeth) in a single surgery, in a procedure labeled “Immediate Loading.” In such cases, a provisional prosthetic tooth or teeth are fitted to avoid the force of the bite transferring to the implant while it integrates with the bone.

To learn more about surgical implant placements or Dental Implants, Contact Us at (408) 377-5134.