Orthodontics before Implants

The Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center of Philadelphia is equipped to provide for a wide range of patients’ cosmetic and orthodontic needs. But patients who need extensive work done may not know what to get first. Implants are an incredibly effective type of restoration but they nearly always need to be placed after orthodontic work has been completed.

If the orthodontics are needed to correct overcrowding, there may not be room for the implant, let alone a new crown. But the main reason orthodontics don’t work on implants is the way in which implants need to fuse with the patient’s jaw bone. Endosteal implants get their name from the endosteum, a layer of tissue inside bones. An implant is inserted into this layer and if the osseointegration process goes correctly, new bone tissue will grow around it. The bone and titanium matrix won’t be pushed out of place by any orthodontic device, nor would a patient want it to be.

Because implants cannot be moved, it is important for the arches of a patient’s teeth to already be in the right shape if the artificial tooth is to align properly. However, patients who already have implants may still be able to undergo orthodontic treatment. It depends on which teeth need to be moved and to where. In some cases, an implant can actually provide helpful anchoring to the jaw ridge.

Shireen Malik, D.D.S, operates the Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center at 1128 Walnut Street, Ste 500, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 191078. To schedule an appointment, call 215-279-1193 or visit NicholasCosmeticDentalCenter.com and fill out a contact sheet.