Dental Implants
Dental implants are an incredible advance in dental technology that allows us to replace your missing teeth with lifelike prosthetics that don’t just look like natural teeth but also function like them.
Missing teeth can severely limit you, making it difficult to eat the foods you used to love and creating a feeling of self-consciousness. If you’ve been struggling with missing teeth, call our office to speak with Tustin, CA dentist Dr. Keith Reber to find out if dental implants are right for you.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are a prosthetic tooth with two main parts. The actual implant portion is a biocompatible titanium post that is placed in your gum where the tooth used to be. As your gum heals, the post becomes a permanent part of your jaw through a process called osseointegration; in fact, this process is what makes dental implants such a major advancement over other tooth replacement options including bridges, partials, and dentures.
The part of the dental implant that others will see is a crown created to blend in perfectly with the rest of your teeth. The crown is attached to the post of the implant and looks so much like a natural tooth that only you and Dr. Reber will ever know that it isn’t.
As soon as the crown is placed, your teeth will be restored to full functionality, and you will once again be able to enjoy all the foods you used to and smile with confidence.
The Implant Advantage
When you lose a tooth, the jawbone beneath the gum where your tooth used to be begins to deteriorate. When your teeth are healthy, the roots of your teeth work to stimulate the bone of your jaw to constantly restore itself. When you lose a tooth and the root goes missing, the jawbone no longer has a purpose and starts to reabsorb.
In time, this process causes the structure of your jaw to change, and the other teeth will begin to drift and even come loose. You are likely to lose more teeth, and the problem continues to spread in a kind of chain reaction. As the jaw continues to deteriorate, the shape of your face will even change, giving you the sunken look that is characteristic of people who are missing several teeth and aging you considerably.
Dental implants stop this process in its tracks. The titanium post functions just like a natural tooth root and stimulates the jawbone to restore itself.
Can I Get Dental Implants?
Dental implants do require a certain amount of healthy jaw tissue to stay in place. To check the condition of your bone, we’ll take x-rays and perform a comprehensive examination. The good news is that even if you don’t currently have the quality or quantity of bone necessary to place the implant, we can refer you to a specialist who can perform a procedure called “bone grafting” that will build up the bone until implants can be placed.
Call our office today to find out more about dental implants and how they can give you back your freedom.
