A Short Q&A About Dental Implants

The most important thing to remember after losing one or more teeth is that it isn’t all over for your smile. With the right prosthetic option, you can completely rebuild both your smile’s appearance and your bite’s function, restoring the youthful vibrance that it once enjoyed. For patients in Encinitas/San Diego, that option is most often one or a combination of dental implants. Created to mimic the structures and functions of your lost teeth roots, dental implants can be placed inside of your jawbone, creating anchors to hold your replacement teeth comfortably and steadily in place.

How exactly do dental implants work?

Traditional dental prosthetics (such as bridges and dentures) are designed to replace the parts of your teeth that you can see and that are responsible for biting and chewing. By contrast, implants replace the supportive roots, which once rested in your jawbone. Implant posts are made from titanium, which is biocompatible so that your jawbone fuses to it as it heals. This means each implant post becomes a permanent part of your oral health and anatomy.

What if I’ve lost all of my teeth?

A single implant post can often be coupled with a lifelike dental crown to replace a lost tooth because it mimics the root-and-crown structure of your natural tooth. However, dental implants are equally beneficial for patients who’ve lost any number of teeth. For instance, if you’ve lost all of them on your upper or lower dental ridge, then a series of implant posts can be used to support a custom-designed full denture.

What kind of benefits will I experience?

With the support of dental implants, your dental bridge or denture will look, feel, and function more like your healthy, natural teeth, which will be immediately evident in how stable it is when you bite and chew. However, there are several other benefits to your long-term oral health that only dental implants can provide. Most notably, the biocompatible posts reestablish stimulation in your jawbone when you bite and chew, which is vital to the long-term health and integrity of your smile.

Get answers to more dental implant questions

Learn as much as you can about dental implants and their many different benefits by speaking with us today. For more information, schedule a consultation with Dr. Kania by calling her periodontal office in Encinitas/San Diego, CA, at (760) 642-0711.