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Some people arrive here with an implant already in their jaw and nothing on top of it. The surgeon did their part, then something interrupted the rest: a move, a change of insurance, a practice that closed, or a year that got away from them.
If that’s you, you’re in a more common situation than you’d think, and it’s usually fixable.
We restore implants placed by other dentists, oral surgeons and periodontists. Bring us what you have and we’ll tell you what it needs.
An implant is the titanium post in the bone. The restoration is the tooth you can see: the crown, bridge or denture that attaches to it.
Two separate jobs, sometimes done by two separate offices. When people say their implant “isn’t finished,” they mean the post is integrated and waiting, and the tooth hasn’t been made yet.
The post in your jawbone. Placed surgically, then left to integrate.
The connector between the post and the tooth. Sometimes already in place, sometimes chosen at this stage.
The crown, bridge or implant-supported denture. This is the part we make.
Yes, and it’s routine. You don’t need to go back to whoever placed it.
What we need is to identify the implant. There are dozens of systems on the market and each has its own connection, so the abutment and crown have to match the hardware in your jaw. Usually that’s straightforward:
Neither route is a problem, and neither is your problem to solve. Bring what you have, including any paperwork or an implant card if you were given one.
Then we check the implant itself: that it’s integrated, that it’s stable, and that the gum around it is healthy. Occasionally an old implant has developed an infection that needs treating before it can carry a crown, and it’s better to find that now than after the lab work.
Have an implant that still needs its crown? Bring it in. We’ll examine it, identify the system, request your records if we need them, and give you a written plan and cost. Free, and nothing is owed if you decide to leave it.
Restoration is the part patients judge, because it’s the part they see and chew with. Color, shape, the way it emerges from the gum, and above all the bite.
Dr. Fishman earned his DDS at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and trained in implant and cosmetic dentistry during an Advanced General Practice Residency there. Because he both places and restores implants in this office, he’s reading someone else’s surgical work with a surgeon’s understanding of what’s underneath.
Dr. Longley trained at the University of Maryland Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, and came to dentistry through the Air Force and more than fifteen years as an Army Reserve officer. He’ll tell you plainly why he’s recommending what he’s recommending.
We take digital impressions here rather than trays of material, which is faster, more comfortable and generally more accurate for implant work.
One tooth on one implant, matched to the color and shape of the teeth on either side. The neighboring teeth are untouched.
Several teeth in a row carried on implants rather than on your own teeth.
Your denture snaps onto implants. It still comes out for cleaning, but it stops moving while you eat and talk.
A full jaw of fixed teeth on four or six implants. All-on-4® → | All-on-6 →
We’ll also replace a restoration you already have. If a crown has chipped, worn, loosened or simply aged out, and the implant underneath is healthy, the crown can usually be remade without touching the implant.
No surgery. That part is behind you. This is a prosthetic process, and it’s a much easier set of appointments than what you’ve already been through.
We examine the implant and the gum around it, take an X-ray, confirm the implant is integrated and stable, and identify the system. You get a plan and a price.
A healing abutment may go on for a few weeks to shape the gum into a natural collar around the tooth. Skipping this is why some implant crowns look like they were dropped in from above.
A digital scan of the implant position and the teeth around it, plus a bite record.
Custom abutment and crown, matched to your teeth.
We check contact points, appearance and bite, and adjust until it’s right. Implants have no ligament to absorb an early contact the way a natural tooth does, so getting the bite exact matters more here than almost anywhere else in dentistry.
How to clean around it and how often to have it checked.
We see restoration patients from Owings Mills, Pikesville, Randallstown, Glyndon, Garrison, Finksburg, and across Baltimore County, including plenty who had the implant placed somewhere else entirely.
Yes. We do it regularly. We’ll request your records from the previous provider, or identify the system from an X-ray if records aren’t available.
Usually not. If the implant integrated properly and the gum around it is healthy, it can generally still be restored. Bone may have changed shape around it over the years, and occasionally an implant has become infected and needs treatment first. An exam and X-ray answer it quickly.
Typically three to six months after placement, depending on the site and how the bone healed. Your surgeon’s timeline governs. If you were given one, bring it.
Several rather than one, because the crown is custom-made between visits. We’ll give you the exact schedule at the consultation.
Often 10 to 15 years, frequently longer. Grinding, trauma and gum infection around the implant shorten it. It can be replaced without disturbing the implant.
That’s the standard we’re working to. Shade, shape and translucency are matched to the teeth beside it, and the gum is shaped so the crown emerges naturally rather than sitting on the gum. Front teeth are the hardest case in dentistry and we’ll be straight with you about what’s achievable in your specific situation.
No. There’s no surgery and often no anesthetic. It’s a fitting appointment.
Usually not. A loose crown is often a loosened screw, which is a quick fix. Come in soon rather than waiting, because a loose restoration can damage the implant connection if it’s left.
Whether you need the crown that never got made, or a replacement for one that’s failing, start with a look. Free consultation, written plan, no obligation.
Brilliant Smiles of Maryland
