If you have lost one or more teeth to gum disease, you could develop severe problems with your oral health and smile. Tooth loss contributes to degradation of the jawbone and can rapidly age your appearance. This means that by exploring a replacement option that restores your smile, you can regain stability and preserve your jaw.

At your Encinitas/San Diego, CA periodontal practice, we help patients regain a full smile after helping treat their gum infections. Placing a dental implant requires the disease to be in remission, so we combine this service with regular periodontal care. By staying on top of your routine cleanings, you can preserve the security of your prosthetic implant tooth.

How Missing Teeth Result From Gum Disease

When your gums are healthy, they provide a critical connection between your teeth and jawbone. This tissue forms a tight seal that prevents foreign material such as oral bacteria from reaching deeper into your body. However, when gum infection takes hold, the body’s inflammatory system begins to destroy tissue. Without treatment, you can lose so much material that your teeth become unstable. When this happens, we suggest extracting your tooth to prepare you for a replacement and stabilize the disease. An open gap can cause problems with jaw strain, tooth decay, and more, so we suggest replacing the tooth to regain strength for your bite.

Replacing Your Tooth’s Roots

Whether replacing a single tooth or placing implants to support a full set of dentures, we will handle your procedure with the care it deserves. Taking precise measurements of your open sockets and other oral structures, we plan the precise angles through which we place your implant. Your post consists of a biocompatible titanium rod that can fuse tightly with your jaw. To ensure a tight seal around the post, we require regular periodontal maintenance sessions to keep the disease manageable. This could increase your dental trips from two per year to three or four. By staying on top of this care, you ensure that your implant stays in place for decades.

Securing Your New Tooth Above The Gumline

After healing from the implant procedure, we attach an abutment to the end of your post that can hold a visible prosthetic. We generally suggest dental crowns for individual teeth, while an implant can also support a bridge or set of dentures. This added support means no slipping of the prosthetic or need for repair due to changing jawbone shape. Enjoy a more secure replacement tooth with your dental implant.

Talk To Your Encinitas/San Diego, CA Periodontist About Dental Prosthetics

We can help you complete your smile once again! If you would like to find out more about addressing your missing teeth, then please call Dr. Kania’s laser periodontal office in Encinitas/San Diego, CA, at (760) 642-0711.