Dental Implants
A dental implant is a permanent, restorative dental appliance that is used to replace teeth that are missing. When teeth fall into disrepair or need to be extracted due to irreparable trauma, the best and longest lasting solution is a dental implant. Further, dental implants can provide solid anchors for other, larger, permanent or removable dental appliances like bridges and dentures.
Here at Pacific Ave Dental we are happy to provide our patients with the highest quality in long lasting dental implants at affordable prices.
Reasons for Dental Implants
If you are missing teeth, are facing tooth loss due to decay or trauma, or need several teeth replaced, dental implants can provide a great solution to your problem. Some reasons you may need dental implants include:| • | To replace missing teeth |
| • | To support bridges or dentures |
| • | To maintain healthy bone levels |
| • | To support a single crown |
When teeth are lost and not replaced a number of unfortunate and ultimately, very costly, problems can begin to occur in the mouth. The teeth surrounding the lost tooth can begin to slip into the gap. When teeth move your bite will change, which leads to pain and irritation in the jaw and greatly increases the risk of teeth chipping or cracking.
Not only can the bite change when a tooth is lost but the jawbone that would normally support the tooth is now left with no form of stimulation. After a while, if the tooth is not replaced with an implant the bone will begin to recede. Bone loss can easily lead to more tooth loss. As you can see, when a tooth is lost and not replaced, it can lead to an unfortunate and destructive cycle that can leave your mouth in real disrepair.
Learn More About the Benefits of Dental Implants
Read about Frequently Asked Questions about Dental Implants
The Procedure
Most dental implant procedures require at least two visits to our office. During the first visit we will take impressions of your teeth and send them to our dental laboratory for fabrication.Site Preparation
Once we have the impressions we need we can begin to prepare the site for placing the implant. We will make an incision in the gum so that we can access the bone in the jaw. If there isn’t enough healthy bone (we will know ahead of time from x-ray information) we will graft bone onto the area to allow the implant a good chance of success.Once we have access to the bone in the jaw we will use a special drill to prepare a suitable site for the implant to be placed in.
Placing the Implant
The implant is a titanium post that resembles a bluntly tipped screw. We will place it in you jaw and suture the tissue around it closed. Because titanium is biocompatible your jaw bone will fuse with the implant over the next six to nine months. The implant encourages receding bone to grow.Attaching the Abutment
Once the implant has healed into your jaw, we will be able to place the abutment. The abutment acts as a go between for the crown to attach to the implant.Placing the Crown
The crown attaches to the abutment an is held in place by long lasting, permanent dental cement.Dental Implants are not recommended to patients who smoke as they have a tendency to fail in the mouths of people who smoke.
Call us today at (360) 373-3515 to make an appointment or with any questions you have. We look forward to seeing you smile!
