Dental implants providers glossary

Short, plain-English definitions of the terms you'll meet when choosing a dental implants provider provider in Chicago, IL.

What are bone graft material types?: Bone graft material types are the four main categories of bone used to restore or augment jawbone for dental implant placement: autograft (patient's own bone), allograft (human cadaver bone), xenograft (animal-derived bone), and synthetic (lab-created bone substitutes).
What are immediate load implants?: Immediate load implants are dental implants that receive a crown, bridge, or provisional prosthesis on the same day of placement, rather than waiting months for osseointegration to complete.
What are mini dental implants?: Mini dental implants are narrow-diameter titanium posts, typically 3 to 4 mm wide, used to anchor dentures or replace single teeth in patients with limited bone height or width.
What is a cone beam CT scan (CBCT)?: A cone beam CT scan is a three-dimensional X-ray imaging technology that captures detailed images of jaw bone, sinuses, and tooth anatomy to guide implant placement and surgical planning.
What is a dental implant abutment?: An abutment is the connector piece that screws onto the top of a dental implant post and holds the crown in place, bridging the artificial root to the visible restoration.
What is a healing abutment?: A healing abutment is a temporary cap attached to a dental implant that shapes and protects the gum tissue during the healing phase before the permanent crown is placed.
What is a locator attachment?: A locator attachment is a snap-on connector that secures a removable implant overdenture to the underlying dental implants or bar, permitting the patient to insert and remove the prosthesis independently.
What is a sinus lift?: A sinus lift is a surgical procedure that raises the sinus membrane and places bone material beneath it in the upper jaw to increase bone height for implant placement.
What is a titanium implant post?: A titanium implant post is the screw-shaped metal fixture surgically placed into the jawbone to serve as an artificial tooth root and support a dental prosthetic.
What is a zirconia dental implant?: A zirconia dental implant is a tooth replacement device made from ceramic zirconia oxide rather than titanium, offering a metal-free alternative for patients concerned with biocompatibility or visible metal show-through.
What is an implant bar (bar overdenture)?: An implant bar is a rigid metal framework attached to two or more dental implants that provides a stable foundation for a removable overdenture to clip onto.
What is an implant crown?: An implant crown is a porcelain or ceramic restoration that attaches to an abutment on top of a dental implant to replace a missing tooth.
What is an implant overdenture?: A removable denture that clips or snaps onto dental implants placed in the jawbone, offering greater stability than a conventional denture while remaining removable for cleaning.
What is an implant-supported bridge?: A fixed prosthesis anchored by two or more dental implants that replaces multiple missing teeth without requiring a full arch restoration.
What is bone density grading for implants?: Bone density grading is a classification system using D1-D4 categories to assess the quality and density of jawbone material for dental implant placement.
What is extraction socket preservation?: Extraction socket preservation is the placement of bone graft material into an empty tooth socket immediately after extraction to maintain bone height, width, and density before implant placement.
What is guided bone regeneration?: Guided bone regeneration (GBR) is a surgical procedure that uses a barrier membrane and bone graft material to rebuild lost jawbone before or during dental implant placement.
What is guided implant surgery?: Guided implant surgery is a surgical method in which a custom template, generated from 3D CBCT scans, directs implant placement to exact positions determined by computer planning before surgery.
What is implant failure and osseointegration failure?: Implant failure happens when a dental implant does not fuse to the jawbone during healing (early failure) or loosens after successful integration due to infection, bone loss, or mechanical stress (late failure).
What is implant torque and stability (ISQ)?: ISQ (implant stability quotient) is a numerical measurement of how firmly a dental implant has anchored into the jawbone, assessed via resonance frequency analysis to determine if it can safely support a crown.
What is nerve mapping for implant placement?: Nerve mapping is the use of advanced imaging to identify the location of the inferior alveolar nerve before placing dental implants in the lower jaw, allowing surgeons to avoid nerve damage.
What is osseointegration?: Osseointegration is the biological process where jawbone grows and bonds directly to a titanium or zirconia dental implant post, anchoring it permanently in place.
What is peri-implantitis?: Peri-implantitis is an inflammatory infection affecting the soft tissue and bone surrounding a dental implant, caused by bacterial buildup and characterized by bone loss that can threaten implant stability.
What is two-stage implant surgery?: Two-stage implant surgery is a traditional approach where a dental implant is placed below the gum line and left to osseointegrate for several months, followed by a second procedure to expose the implant and attach the abutment and crown.