Dental Implants

Dr. Holly Baller is passionate about helping her patients live their best lives by improving their oral health. Tooth loss robs you of comfort and function and drains your confidence, but dental implants can help you get them all back.

Why Choose Dental Implants?

Dental implants in Aurora are considered the gold standard for tooth replacement. This means that implants are considered to be the healthiest and best solution to replace missing teeth.

Why? An implant is a prosthetic tooth consisting of an artificial tooth root and the crown that shows when you smile. In other words, dental implants look, feel, and function just like a natural tooth.

Dentures and bridges are excellent solutions, but implants are considered a healthier option because they replace the missing tooth root. This is crucial because it’s the presence of the root that stimulates the regeneration of bone in your jaw.

When tooth loss occurs, bone regeneration ceases, and the jawbone begins to break down. Without a dental implant, this can lead to additional tooth loss, and the deterioration of the jawbone also causes a change in your facial contours.

Getting a Dental Implant

The first step is a consultation with Dr. Baller at our warm and welcoming Aurora dental office. With a thorough examination that includes digital x-rays, 3-D cone beam images, and evaluation of bone in your jaw, she can determine if you are a good implant candidate. If you are, we’ll schedule an appointment so she can expertly place the titanium implant surgically in your jaw.

The procedure takes about an hour and is much more comfortable than people might think. Once we numb the area with powerful local anesthetics, you won’t feel anything but some slight pressure. If you still feel apprehensive, please tell us so we can offer you nitrous oxide or oral sedation.

We allow your implant to heal over several months, during which a process called osseointegration occurs. Over time, the biocompatible dental implant gradually fuses with the bone and tissue surrounding it and ultimately becomes a permanent part of your dental anatomy, just as your real tooth root was.

With proper care, a dental implant can last a lifetime.

Restoring Your Implant’s Function and Appearance

After the dental implant has healed completely, our Aurora dentist will restore it with a beautiful customized dental crown. She would recommend a bridge or partial denture for multiple teeth, and if you are missing all your upper or lower teeth (or both), full implant dentures are the right choice.

Dr. Baller would place four to six dental implants along your jawbone and design your customized dentures to snap onto them. The result is dentures that stay securely in place no matter how hard you laugh or sneeze and can only be removed by your dentist.

Bone Grafting and Sinus Lifts

With state-of-the-art 3-D cone beam imaging technology, we can determine if the jawbone in the area is sufficiently strong and healthy. If not, you may be a candidate for a bone grafting procedure. Likewise, if anatomical structures like your sinuses inhibit implant placement, there is a procedure called a sinus lift that may work for you.

Would You Like to Learn More about Dental Implants?

At Baller Dental & Orthodontics at Southlands, Dr. Baller and her team derive enormous pleasure from seeing the delighted faces of patients who have just completed dental implant therapy. We would love to help you experience that same transformation that we know will enrich your life and allow you to smile confidently again.

Please call our Aurora office to learn more about dental implants.