Dental Implants

Missing teeth can have a detrimental impact on our day to day lives. As well as affecting our ability to bite and chew our food, lost teeth can also make it impossible to form certain sounds, changing the way that we speak and, in some cases, making it hard for people to understand us. There is the psychological impact of missing teeth to consider too. A small gap at the back of your arch of teeth may not be too noticeable, but if you have spaces near the front of your mouth, it could cause you to be embarrassed, self-conscious or even ashamed about the appearance of your teeth. In many instances, this means that people who are unhappy with their smiles do everything possible to avoid showing them – covering their mouths with their hands, avoiding eating in public and smiling with a closed mouth in pictures.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways in which missing teeth can be replaced. One of the most popular and successful treatments is dental implants. We are pleased to offer patients the benefit of our knowledge and experience in dental implant placement, which takes place here at our dental practice in Camarillo, CA.

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are an entirely unique way of replacing missing teeth. What makes them different from other solutions is their design, which has a titanium post as well as a prosthetic tooth. The purpose of this titanium post is to act as an artificial root for the visible part of the implant, securing the entire device permanently to the jawbone.

The process to place dental implants is surgical, requiring a hole to be drilled into the jaw via an incision in the gum. You might think that drilling a hole into the jawbone causes irreparable damage, but this isn’t the case. Bone can regenerate, so when the titanium post is inserted into the jaw, the bone is prompted to heal around it, permanently encasing it within the bone itself. This gives the dental implant the stability and durability for which this treatment is renowned. The healing process takes a number of months, so your dental implant won’t fully occur until this has happened. Nevertheless, you will be fitted with temporary artificial teeth during this time so that you don’t lose any dental function.

Whilst this process is happening, your custom-designed porcelain crowns that will sit atop the titanium implants will be created. These are bespoke for you and the specific tooth that they are to replace, created in the size, shape, and color needed to blend in and become invisible amongst the rest of your teeth.

What are the advantages of choosing dental implants?

There are a variety of reasons why dental implants are the preferred choice of patients who are looking for a tooth replacement solution.

Superior discretion

One of the biggest issues with conventional tooth replacement solutions is that they aren’t the most discreet. Dental implants look exactly like your natural teeth, meaning that nobody need ever know that they aren’t.

Comfort

Dental implants also feel just like natural teeth. In fact, many people even go on to forget that they have an implant at all!

Easy to clean

Unlike bridges and dentures which can be tricky to clean, dental implants can and should be brushed and flossed just like natural teeth. This is important to limit your risk of periodontal disease – an inflammatory condition that can threaten the longevity of your implants.

Reinforce your jawbone

When the jawbone no longer has a root to stimulate it, it can start to deteriorate. For this reason, people who opt for dentures typically need them re-made some years after they first get them because their jaw changes shape. However, with dental implants the titanium post continues to stimulate the healthy bone in the jaw, preventing deterioration.

Stability and durability

Dental implants offer unrivaled stability compared to alternative solutions, and you don’t have to worry about them slipping or moving around inside your mouth. They are also much longer-lasting and with proper care and professional attention on a regular basis, a dental implant could last upwards of 20 years.

If you have missing teeth and are considering what options you have to replace them, dental implants could be the solution that you are looking for. To learn more about this revolutionary treatment, or to schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your case, please contact our dentistry team in Camarillo, CA.