Implants

A Healthy Smile Is an Amazing Smile for a Lifetime

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We Accept All PPOs

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Making Your Teeth Look Natural

Advances in dental technology have brought us the most ideal method of permanent replacements for missing teeth—dental implants.

Compared to earlier ways of replacing teeth, dental implants look more like your natural teeth, last longer than other replacement methods and function just like natural teeth, even contributing to the health of the bones in your jaw.

It’s important to understand exactly what dental implants are and how they work.

How Dental Implants Work

Dental implants are a newer development in dental technology and, in some ways, a bit of a miracle of modern medicine. They allow dentists to create an artificial tooth that is permanently bonded into the jaw and works just like the original tooth.

Step 1: Placing the Implant Itself

The implant itself is a slender titanium post that will act as the root of your replacement tooth. The first step is placing this implant in the jaw bone in the location of your missing tooth. Titanium is used for the implant because of its superior ability to bond to human bone. Once the implant is placed, it is allowed to heal fully, a process that takes a few months.

Step 2: Adding the Abutment

This is a fast way to reverse staining resulting from dark-colored foods like coffee, tea and wine, use of antibiotics or other causes. We offer in-office whitening which is the fastest way to see a noticeable change in the whiteness of your teeth, and an at-home program to bring about more gradual change. Whichever choice you make, you can see a dramatic difference in the whiteness of your teeth which can help boost self-confidence. And because aging is a cause of darkening teeth, some people say they look younger after teeth whitening.

Step 3: Adding the Replacement Tooth

Dental bonding is a versatile method of repairing discoloration, chips, irregularly-shaped teeth and minor gaps between the teeth. After a tooth is prepared to bond to the durable, plastic-glass composite material, the bonding agent is applied directly to the teeth to reshape them or cover discoloration. The composite material is hardened with a special light and then finished with shaping and polishing. There are no waits for materials to be delivered from the lab—everything takes place in our office. You can go home with an improved smile in just one visit.

How Implants Help Preserve Your Bone

Throughout the body, bones need stimulation to stay healthy. When a tooth is lost, the bone in the jaw no longer receives stimulation from the forces of biting and chewing. After a tooth is lost, the jawbone that used to support that tooth begins to melt away. It can eventually collapse in on itself.

Fortunately, when a dental implant is complete, it offers the same stimulation as your natural teeth, helping to preserve the bone in your jaw. Bridges and partial and complete dentures do not offer this same protection for your jawbones.

When multiple or all one’s teeth are missing, the resulting collapse of jaw bone can change the shape of a person’s face, making them look older.

Collapse of jaw bone due to missing teeth

Additional Benefits of Dental Implants

Unlike dentures, you will never need to remove implants for cleaning, nor will you need to carefully run your floss under them like with bridges. Having an implant does not place any stress on adjacent teeth, like a bridge or partial denture can. Dental implants are a major improvement over all other methods of replacing missing teeth.

If you’re missing teeth, contact us to learn if you are a candidate for dental implants.

An examination, and possibly x-rays, will be needed to confirm that your other teeth and gums are in good condition and you have sufficient bone mass to make your implant successful.

If you need special care to prepare you for implants, we can help you with the treatment you need. Call Amazing Smiles Family Dentistry today at (770) 304-0034 to get started!