Single Tooth Dental Implant
Lake Forest, CA
Gum disease, tooth decay, or injury to your oral cavity may lead to tooth loss. Jeanette Thai, DDS believes every individual deserves the best oral health possible. If you are missing multiple teeth or just a single tooth, you may be a perfect candidate for a dental implant procedure. A single tooth dental implant can significantly enhance your oral health by restoring or improving your appearance, your ability to speak more clearly, and even chew more efficiently.
What Are Single Tooth Dental Implants Made of?
Single tooth dental implants are made of three main parts: the implant body, the abutment, and the crown. The implant body is a titanium screw-like structure that, when placed, acts as an anchor where your root would have been.
Secondly, is the abutment. It acts as a connector between the implant and the crown. The abutment is made from either titanium or porcelain and sometimes even gold. Last, we have the crown. The crown is the visible part of your tooth that others can see, usually made by the fusion of metal and porcelain, or entirely either made of metal or porcelain.
What Advantages Do Single Tooth Dental Implants Offer?
Single tooth dental implants are often weighed against dental bridges. Dental bridges are permanent structural implants made of several teeth lined next to each other with the tooth on either end being hollow for fixing using dental cement.
The advantages that dental implants have over bridges are that implants do not demand tooth alteration. In contrast, tooth-supported bridges require the shaping of other teeth in order to make the placement process easier. Moreover, bridges may require tooth removal, which is detrimental to your oral health in the long run.
Dental implants have a longer lifespan than bridges. Implants can sometimes last a lifetime provided they are maintained, whereas bridges can last up to 10 years. Additional advantages that dental implants offer are keeping adjacent teeth stable, preventing the development of gum disease by filling potential areas vulnerable to bacteria growth, and improved speech.
How Are Single Tooth Dental Implants Placed?
The placement of the implants is spaced over a period of a few months. In the first step, the implant body that resembles a screw will be placed into your gums and allowed to integrate with the adjacent bone, a process known as osseointegration. The period between the placement of the implant body and the crown depends on the bone density of the jaw. Typically it takes longer if the implant is placed on the upper jaw due to lower bone density. Generally, the complete procedure time may vary anywhere between six to nine months. This varies by individual and our experts can give a better estimate on this.
Upon the successful osseointegration, the abutment will be either cemented or screwed onto the implant. A temporary crown will be placed onto the abutment before the final step can occur. Once the abutment has completely healed, a permanent crown is then ready to be fitted marking the end of your procedure.
To take full advantage of what Jeanette Thai, DDS can offer to you in terms of single tooth dental implants, or multiple tooth dental implants, for your missing teeth, reach us at (949) 837-8482. Your perfect smile is only a phone call away.
|
