A dental implant does much more than fill a gap in your smile should you suffer from tooth loss. The placement could actually help preserve your jaw structure and prevent tooth loss, while also helping you maintain your youthful features too. In today’s blog, your Santa Rosa, CA, oral surgeons discuss how dental implants preserve your smile.
The Implant Post
The dental implant is made up of three main parts. The post, the abutment, and the crown. The post is a screw-like device that is made from titanium, which is biocompatible with your body. The post is inserted into the jaw through oral surgery. The area chosen is picked and the process guided by advanced digital technology, ensuring your new root can support a tooth and avoid sensitive nerve tissues. The post then bonds with your jawbone through a process known as osseointegration, which could help ensure you have a stable tooth replacement!
Osseointegration
When we lose teeth, the body notices and in response, the flow of calcium and phosphorus is no longer sent to the jawbone around the lost tooth. Without these nutrients, the bone tissue breaks down and loses mass and density. Over time, this means further tooth loss and eventually, negative changes to overall facial structure. However, since the new post is accepted as an actual root, the flow of nutrients resumes to preserve your jaw and facial structure, preventing further tooth loss too.
Restoration and Custom Prosthetics
Once osseointegration occurs, then we add an abutment to the post. The abutment will then enable us to attach a crown. For an individual dental implant, the crown provides the visible portion of your new tooth. Created using digital technology and made with lifelike materials, such as ceramic, the crown looks natural and is color-matched to blend with your smile. You also have a durable and dependable chewing surface. If you have multiple missing teeth, we could insert several posts per arch to attach a bridge or denture, providing a prosthetic that never skips. For those with lost jawbone tissue, we could use All-On-Four or TreFoil® to support denture with as little as four or even three posts per arch.
These implant-supported tooth replacements could last for decades to come, possibly even a lifetime with proper care and attention! If you would like to learn more, then please don’t hesitate to give our team a call today!
Do You Need a New Tooth?
Our team is ready to tackle minor or advanced tooth loss with implant dentistry. To learn more about the benefits of dental implants for the stability of your smile, then schedule a consultation by calling Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA, today at 707-545-4625.