Dental Implants in Clearwater, FL
Dental Implants Dentist Clearwater
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SPECIAL OFFER
Dental Implants
Dr. Craig Baker has the experience and credentials you should look for when considering a Dental Implant Dentist.
Dr. Craig Baker, serving Clearwater, Largo and St. Petersburg, has been placing and restoring dental implants for more than a decade.
Plus he offers a wide range of dental implant procedures including single tooth implants, implants for dentures, hybrid implants, All-On-X (Four or Six), snap in dentures, full arch implants and full mouth reconstruction.
Dr. Baker is at the forefront of dental implant technology offering 3D Cone Beam scans for high-precision guided dental implant planning.
Dedicated to life-long learning, Dr. Baker has averaged 80 continuing education credit hours (per licensing period) throughout his career; the minimum requirements for the state of Florida are 20 continuing education credit hours per licensing period! Dr. Baker takes great pride in practicing implant dentistry; he performs sinus lifts and bone grafts as needed.
Find information about dental implants below.
First steps to your dental implants with Dr. Baker:
- Conduct your no cost consultation
- Schedule your examination
A deposit is due when scheduling examination to reserve appointment. - Perform your comprehensive exam
3D CT scan (and any other x-rays as necessary) and complete review of mouth (teeth, gums, jaw bone, bite, etc). - Review our findings and discuss your options
Are dental implants worth it?
A healthy smile is a crucial factor in nearly all aspects of a person’s life. We all want to smile with confidence in job interviews, look great in family pictures, and cause unforgettable first impressions. And a radiant smile is a common factor in all those situations. But it’s not only about appearance. A healthy smile also contributes to the overall health of an individual. Missing teeth can affect speech and digestion, cause temporomandibular disorders, and many other inconveniences that are certainly avoidable if treated on time. That’s why at Baker Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, we take tooth loss seriously and encourage our patients to treat this issue as soon as possible.
Dental implants can preserve jaw bone
At Baker Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, our team believes that dental implants are the best solution to teeth loss. Although they might require a more important first investment than other alternatives like dentures or bridges, they are certainly a smart long term investment. No other treatment has the same natural and long-lasting results. So those patients looking for an effective and safe treatment to recover their smile should consider dental implants seriously. They have a very high success rate and offer many advantages, including the maintenance of jaw structure, the prevention of bone resorption, strength and stability.
Dental implants are the best solution for tooth loss
Dental implants offer many benefits that any person looking for teeth replacement should have in mind. The main advantages are that implants:
- prevent bone resorption (bone loss), maintaining as much natural bone as possible.
- keep the jawbone from shrinking, maintaining the aesthetics of soft tissues throughout the years.
- look and feel natural. Implants are normally restored with porcelain crowns or bridges that closely mimic the aspect of natural teeth.
- restore full chewing power. Most patients can’t tell the difference between implants and natural teeth.
- can last a lifetime. Thanks to the strong integration between the implant’s surface and the jawbone, implants are both strong and durable.
- are the “gold standard” when it comes to teeth replacement treatments.
Video 01:45 |”All of a sudden I got this implant and my mouth was solid. That to me, was the most amazing thing!”
Pat shares her experience getting dental implants:
Dental Implants For Dentures (Snap-In Dentures)
A great option to replace all of your teeth is an implant retained denture. Some may call this a “Snap-In Denture”.
Snap-In dentures are an excellent option for patients that need to replace multiple missing teeth. These dentures, also known as implant-retained or implant-supported dentures, are similar to the conventional full dentures, with the difference that dental implants retain them. The implants, strategically placed along the arch, anchor the denture providing optimum stability and strength.
Eat What You Love!
Implants are so firmly integrated into the jawbone that patients can enjoy all their favourite meals with no limitations. Anything from hard apples to sticky sweets and chocolates, no food will be excluded from their diet. Implants provide such stability and retention to the restorations (crowns, bridges or dentures) that patients will not notice the difference with natural teeth.
Snap-In dentures have many advantages.
They are considered to be:
- Simple: they can be easily removed and replaced
- Comfortable: the implants keep the denture firmly in place when talking and chewing
- Hygienic: as they are removable, the patient can easily clean both the dentures and the implants’ abutments to maintain proper oral health
- Easy to care for: snap-in dentures only require an annual check-up visit to the dental office to ensure they fit correctly.
- Affordable: in comparison to a full-mouth restoration with crown or bridges.
Those patients who had lost an entire arch of teeth don’t have many alternatives to recover their smile. Traditionally, it was either considering a full-mouth restoration with implants and bridges, which can be quite expensive, or a traditional full denture, which does not achieve the results most patients are looking for in functionality and aesthetics. However, at Baker Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, we are happy to introduce a third option, the implant-supported dentures, also known as snap-in dentures. Our dentist can place two or four implants along the arch to improve the denture’s stability and retention. As a result, the patient obtains the best of both worlds: the comfort of dental implants and conventional full dentures’ affordability.
Dental Implants Can Help Keep Your Face Looking Young
This is a unique characteristic of dental implants and is crucial for people missing most or all teeth. Those patients with multiple teeth loss experience many changes in their facial appearance, affecting their general aesthetics and self-confidence. The lower third of the face sinks, and the height between the tip of the nose and the chin decreases. In addition to that, as soft tissues around the mouth lack bone support, bone loss also causes wrinkles and fine lines in lips and surrounding areas. Moreover, the lips get thinner, and the chin points out (“witches chin”).
Wearing dentures only highlight these factors. They rarely provide adequate support for soft tissues and even trigger bone resorption when they do not fit properly. The only treatment that offers a solution to all these problems is the placement of dental implants.
All-on-X (Four or Six) Dental Implants
A minimally invasive solution with a fixed full-arch restoration for high patient satisfaction.
In 1998 Dr. Paulo Malo successfully treated the first patient with the All-on-X (Four or Six) treatment concept. Since then hundreds of thousands of patients have been treated with this concept.
The All-on-X (Four or Six) treatment concept is a cost-efficient, graftless solution that provides patients with a fixed full-arch prosthesis on the day of surgery.
Video 01:41 | Demonstration of the life changing All-on-X (Four or Six) dental implant treatment concept.
- Full-arch rehabilitation with only four implants
Two straight anterior implants and two implants tilted up to 45º in the posterior - Immediate Function (fixed provisional bridge)
For patients meeting criteria for immediate loading of implants - Graftless procedure
Bone grafting is avoided by tilting the posterior implants, utilizing available bone
Patients with edentulism (toothlessness) are often eligible for the All-on-X (Four or Six) treatment concept. A thorough evaluation of any patient is necessary in order to choose the right treatment and to establish a predictable treatment outcome.
Full Mouth New Teeth
Dr. Baker uses dental implants to support a full set of non-removable replacement teeth for this kind of treatment. Unlike the denture, this full mouth set of teeth won’t irritate your gums, and, in addition to that, it will not be covering your palate, offering a real perception of the taste and temperature of your favorite meals.
Teeth in a Day
At Baker Cosmetic & Family Dentistry of Clearwater, the “Teeth in a Day” method is becoming more and more popular among our patients. This treatment option is ideal for those looking for an extreme makeover of their smiles in a short time. On the very same day, our team extracts the affected teeth, places the dental implant following a specific and individual treatment plan, and fits a custom-made, fixed hybrid bridge that replaces all missing teeth. This bridge is worn for approximately six months. After those six months, and once the implants are correctly integrated into the bone, the patient comes back to the office to have the final impressions for the definitive fixed restoration, a zirconia bridge. Although this method demands a very long first session and can be costlier than other alternatives, it’s the perfect solution for those looking for a dramatic change of appearance.
How to care for “teeth in a day”.
Our team at Baker Cosmetic & Family Dentistry of Clearwater advises patients that have chosen the “Teeth in a Day” treatment to visit the office several times a year to assure perfect hygiene. In these check visits, the dentist removes the fixed bridge in the first place. Then our hygienist cleans deeply around the implant abutments to ensure oral health. After the cleaning, the dentist replaces the bridge, and the patient can go back to routine with little interruption.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our team at Baker Cosmetic & Family Dentistry in Clearwater, Florida, describes dental implants as small titanium posts that are screwed into the jawbone. Implants are made of a biocompatible material, and their surface is treated so that it stimulates the deposit of new bone tissue in the area where they are placed. This physiological process, known as osseointegration, allows the implant to stay firm in its position throughout the years. Because of this characteristic, dental implants are considered the “gold standard” in tooth replacement treatments.
The ideal patient is the one that has enough quantity and quality of bone tissue in the area where the implant is going to be placed. Those patients who have been without one or more teeth for a long time should first have some tests done to see if they are suitable candidates. If the results are satisfactory, the dentist can proceed to plan the surgery. If not, he should determine if the situation can be solved with a bone grafting technique or if the patient is simply not a proper candidate.
Those patients who had lost an entire arch of teeth don’t have many alternatives to recover their smile. Traditionally, it was either considering a full-mouth restoration with implants and bridges, which can be quite expensive, or a traditional full denture, which does not achieve the results most patients are looking for in functionality and aesthetics. However, at Baker Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, we are happy to introduce a third option, the implant-supported dentures, also known as snap-in dentures. Our dentist can place two or four implants along the arch to improve the denture’s stability and retention. As a result, the patient obtains the best of both worlds: the comfort of dental implants and conventional full dentures’ affordability.
Dental implants are one of the best solutions to tooth loss, but they are not the only one. Patients can choose from other treatment alternatives as dental bridges or traditional full or partial dentures. However, these other alternatives won’t have the same results in terms of general facial esthetics. No other treatment prevents bone resorption as dental implants do. So if patients decide to replace multiple missing teeth with bridges or dentures, they will certainly experience changes in the lower third of their faces. Wrinkles and fine lines will appear in the mouth area, the distance between the chin and the point of the nose will decrease, and the profile will look sunken. So patients who want to keep their youthful appearance should consider dental implants seriously. And if this option isn’t within their possibilities, at least talk to their dentist as soon as the tooth is lost or removed to see which other alternative can meet their needs.
If properly maintained, dental implants can last a lifetime. However, this doesn’t mean that implants cannot fail. The solid osseointegration of dental implants can be affected by the same bacteria that causes periodontal disease. One of the consequences of advanced periodontal disease is bone loss. If this process occurs near implants, it will eventually affect their foundation. Solving this kind of affection -if it’s possible- requires time and money, so all patients with dental implants must have perfect oral hygiene. For this purpose, apart from the personal routine, it is vital to visit the office at least twice a year. During these visits, our team provides a deep cleaning. At the same time, they evaluate the implant to see if there’s any situation that might be putting the restoration at risk. With this early diagnosis, our team can interfere on time to prevent the failure of the implants.
Dental implants are small titanium posts that are screwed into the bone to replace the roots of one or more missing teeth. They are made of a biocompatible material, and their surface has a unique characteristic that triggers the formation of new bone tissue around the newly placed implant. This physiological process in which the implant is integrated into the jawbone is called “osseointegration”. Through this process, the bone tissue that is deposited around the implants keeps them firmly in their place, adding extra stability and strength. The osseointegration of the implants takes approximately six months. Once this process is finished, the dentist can complete the restorative treatment with the final crowns or bridges.
Besides the important advantage of preventing bone loss and keeping the jaw from shrinking, dental implants have many other benefits that patients should consider. Implants are:
- effective and long-lasting: as they are solidly integrated into the bone tissue, successful treatments are considered permanent solutions to teeth loss.
- versatile: they can house crowns, bridges and even full dentures (which have lately become a popular option for those patients with multiple teeth loss)
- natural-looking: they look and feel as natural teeth once did.
- fully functional: patients recover fully chewing power, being able to enjoy any meal
- maintain youthful appearance: they prevent the sunken appearance of the lower third of the face