Implant Dentistry
San Diego, California
Tooth roots. Although you can't see them, they are essential for dental health. Tooth decay, if it isn’t stopped, can spread to the tooth roots. That means it’s also likely to spread through the gums and if it’s still not stopped, into the jawbone itself. From the gums and bone the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and be carried to any and all other parts of the body. This is how dental ill-health can affect your overall health.
What is an implant?
A dental implant is a substitute for a tooth root. It anchors a replacement tooth. The implant is inserted into the jawbone, allowed to heal up, and then the false tooth, also called a pontic, is attached.
Implants are made of titanium, chosen because it fuses well with bone. It allows the jawbone to grow closely around it and incorporate it as part of the bone (a process called osseointegration). The final result is a pearly-white new porcelain tooth, strongly held in place by the implant, and likely to stay that way for the rest of your life.
Three types of dental implants
- A root form implant. This looks like a screw and is inserted directly into the jawbone. Over about three months, the gum tissue grows back over the top of it and the bone tissue encloses it.
- A plate form implant. This is also inserted into the jawbone. It is used when the jawbone is too narrow to hold a root form implant.
- A subperiosteal implant. This type is set on top of the jawbone, beneath the gums. It is used when the jawbone is too small to hold either a root form or plate form implant.
Most people do well with either a root or plate form implant.
The tooth is attached
After the implant has been installed and has healed over nicely, a tiny abutment is attached to the top of it, under the gum but protruding through it. After a week or two for this to heal over, the artificial tooth or teeth is attached to it. This tooth is actually a porcelain crown, fitted over the abutment as a crown is fitted over a damaged, drilled-out tooth.
Being made of dental porcelain, the tooth shines white like your natural teeth, and only a dentist would know that it was a crown over a dental implant.
More on the Types of Dental Implants
Implant Dentistry Questions
If you have missing teeth, or have been diagnosed with tooth root problems, dental implants might be right for you. Contact us today for a free initial consultation. We offer dental implants and porcelain crowns to residents of San Diego, California, along with a full spectrum of cosmetic dentistry, and neuromuscular dentistry procedures. We hope to meet with you soon.
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The Dentist that Makes You Smile!
3830 Valley Center Drive, Suite 702
San Diego, CA 92130
