8615 NE Hazel Dell Avenue, Vancouver, WA  98665

(360) 574-7477

Dental Implants

 A Prosthetic Discipline with a Surgical Component

We provide comprehensive implant care in our office. Dr. Collins has completed exhaustive continuing education in implant care. He co-directed the AAID Implant Maxi-Course at OHSU, a 27-day program that covered every implant topic in depth.  We perform a very thorough work-up for every case, and every patient is given choices for implant care and alternatives. We design every case from the ground up.  Nearly every case involves a diagnostic wax-up, where we use plaster models of your teeth and jaws with tooth-colored wax to design the result we desire.  We make surgical guides from the wax-ups, and perform our surgery with a keen eye for the final result.  We can start a surgery to place an implant, then decide that we should not place an implant if something about bone quality would compromise our cosmetic or prosthetic goals.  So, you see that implant dentistry is a prosthetic discipline with a surgical component.

Single Tooth Implants - A single tooth implant is appropriate when a missing tooth can be replaced with an implant that resembles the root of a tooth.  The implant "root" is further restored with an implant abutment post and a crown.  If several teeth are missing in a row, they can be replaced with a series of single tooth implants or an implant supported bridge.

Implant-Supported Bridges - Two or more implant "roots" can be used to replace two or more teeth. 

Implant-Supported Dentures - Dentures can be problematic when the part of the jaw bone that supported teeth atrophies under a denture.  Upper dentures can cause gagging problems.  Muscles of the lips, cheeks, tongue and floor of the mouth attach to the sides of the jaws.  Dentures can "trip" when they compete for position with these muscles.  For these, and many other reasons, patients who must have a denture appreciate support and anchorage from implants.  We use special "precision attachment" systems with implants that allow a denture to snap in to place, where it is anchored until you want it to come loose for cleaning.  Implants can also help to maintain bone height under a denture.

Mini-Implants - Some patients do not have enough bone height or width to receive conventional implants.  We offer "mini-implants" that are small enough to fit where conventional implants will not.  These implants are approved by the FDA for immediate loading, which means they can be used under an existing denture to provide anchorage the same day they are placed.  These are also the most affordable implants - we can often place a set of four mini-implants to anchor an existing denture for less than $2000!