Dental Implants – Myrtle Beach, SC

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

You will first schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Markusen. It is during this appointment that he will examine your oral cavity, facial structure, and bone density to determine if you are a qualified candidate. If so, he will capture impressions of your smile and begin preparing a treatment plan. If necessary, he may recommend preliminary treatments like periodontal therapy, tooth extraction, or a bone graft if you show any signs of gum disease, tooth decay, or weakened bone that could cause your implants to fail.

Dental Implant Surgery

Partnering with a trusted specialist, Dr. Markusen will make sure your surgical placement is smooth and successful. Depending on the number of dental implants you will need, the implant dentist will make one or more small incisions in your gums before inserting each implant and moving it into its proper place. After closing your gum tissue, you will be instructed to spend the next 3-6 months at home recovering.

Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment

While at home, the process of osseointegration will begin, which is the fusing of your dental implants with your jawbone and surrounding tissues. It is during this time that you will need to follow detailed instructions by the oral surgeon and Dr. Markusen to ensure your recovery is swift and successful. This means avoiding certain foods, lifestyle habits (i.e., smoking or excessive alcohol consumption), and making sure you are taking any over-the-counter medication as instructed to minimize discomfort and swelling.

Once you are fully healed, you will return to have your abutments put into place. These are small, metal appliances that sit on top of your implants and connect to your restoration.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

The final step in the dental implant placement process is to receive your customized restoration. Because dental implants are a versatile tooth replacement solution, Dr. Markusen can have a dental crown, bridge, or denture created depending on how many teeth were originally missing. Once it is secured in place, he will ensure it looks completely natural and provide a final polish before giving you the green light to start enjoying your new smile.

Day-to-Day Benefits

• Confidence – Empty spaces in your grin make it difficult to feel anything other than self-conscious around other people, and dentures are notorious for shifting around or falling out of your mouth. With dental implants, you can flash your pearly whites with the confidence that they look natural and that they’ll always remain in place.
• Enhanced diet – Because dental implants are firmly rooted in your jawbone rather than sitting on your gums, they restore much of the chewing power you used to have. It should be a breeze to chow down on practically any food on your plate.
• Easy maintenance – Implant-supported teeth can be cared for just like natural ones. Simply brush and floss every day, and visit your implant dentist regularly for checkups. This is a far cry above the complex, time-consuming cleaning routine that traditional dentures require.
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Health Benefits

• Jawbone health – Tooth roots stimulate the jawbone through biting and chewing, so when a tooth is lost, that section of the bone begins to deteriorate. This can cause your remaining teeth to lose support, increasing the risk that they’ll also be lost. The only tooth replacement to strengthen the jawbone like natural teeth do is dental implants.
• Oral health – While a conventional dental bridge relies on support from two of your teeth adjacent to the gap, dental implants are fully self-supporting. They don’t require any enamel to be removed from perfectly healthy teeth, allowing more of your natural tooth structure to be preserved.
• General health – Due to their easy maintenance, dental implants naturally lower the chance that you’ll develop gum disease. Since this condition has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and various other medical issues, dental implants may improve your overall well-being.
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Long-Term Benefits

• Longevity – Dental implants can last for several decades. In fact, many patients are able to enjoy their new teeth for the rest of their lives without issue.
• Reliability – One of the reasons why dental implants are so popular is their dependability. When placed by a professional (such as one of the experts with whom Dr. Markusen collaborates), dental implants are successful in as many as 95% of cases, even after more than 10 years.
• Savings – Although dental implants have a higher initial cost, they’ll actually save you time and money in the long run. This is because they can last for 30+ years, whereas dentures and bridges need to be completely replaced every five to ten years on average. As a result, you can avoid the periodic costs of these replacements in addition to the dental appointments that come with them.
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Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

If you’re a generally healthy adult, then you’re likely eligible for dental implants. Specifically, a good candidate possesses three qualities:

• Good overall health – Dental implant placement is considered a surgical procedure, so you should be free of any medical conditions that could result in complications.
• A healthy mouth – Gum disease and decay in your remaining teeth could compromise the success of your implants, so we’ll need to treat them before surgery.
• A strong jawbone – Without sufficient jawbone density, your implants won’t be able to form a lasting bond. If bone loss has occurred in your jaw, we may need to arrange for a bone graft before implants can be placed.
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Even if you don’t meet these criteria at first, you may still be able to receive dental implants as long as we take the appropriate steps beforehand, such as performing gum disease therapy or tooth extractions. Then, once your dental implant dentist has given you the greenlight, we can plan out your treatment based on the extent of your tooth loss.

Missing One Tooth

When recreating an individual tooth, implant-supported dental crowns are the ideal choice. After a single implant is inserted into the empty space, Dr. Markusen attaches a crown on top of it, which is painstakingly designed and crafted from top-tier BruxZir® Zirconia for a highly durable, seamlessly attractive result. Better yet, the placement of the implant and crown will not threaten the health of the surrounding natural teeth in the way that conventional dental bridges do.

Missing Multiple Teeth

A number of implant posts can be anchored in multiple places throughout a patient’s mouth when needed in order to support a customized partial denture. If you’re dealing with multiple missing teeth in a row, we often recommend an implant bridge. With this solution, a bridge is secured in place over two dental implants to fill gaps left by consecutive missing teeth, with one post positioned on either side. This provides a stable, lasting foundation that far exceeds the stability of traditional bridges.

Missing All Teeth

Even patients with no natural teeth remaining can benefit from dental implants. A small number of posts (usually between four and eight) can be placed at strategic locations and angles throughout the jaw to create enough support for a full denture. Implant dentures eliminate the inconveniences of traditional dentures, such as the need for messy adhesives to prevent slippage and the inability to chew various foods.