What are dental implants?
Dental implants are artificial tooth replacements that work by mimicking the root structure of a natural tooth.
They’re small, metal posts that are surgically implanted into your jawbone and actually fuse with the bone. This fusion (a process called osseointegration) makes a dental implant a sturdy and permanent foundation in your jaw.
Dr. Cheney can affix a crown, bridge, or dentures to your dental implants, giving you a replacement tooth or teeth that look, function, and can be cared for just like your natural teeth.
Why should I get dental implants?
To understand the benefits of a dental implant, it first helps to understand the complications that can arise from having missing teeth in your smile.
Missing teeth are more than just a cosmetic concern. Your mouth is designed to have every one of your teeth working together in harmony. When one or more of your teeth don’t show up for the job, it can lead to a number of dental complications, such as:
- Problems chewing and speaking properly
- Bone loss in your jaw beneath the missing tooth
- Shifting and rotating of your remaining teeth as they move into the empty space
- A misaligned bite due to shifting teeth, which can lead to temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) and accelerated wear on your remaining teeth
A missing tooth can also change the shape of your face, as your jaw and facial muscles begin to atrophy around the area of the missing tooth.
By filling in the gap in your smile and keeping your jawbone stimulated, dental implants effectively prevent many of the problems caused by missing teeth. Unlike other restoration procedures, such as a traditional bridge, dental implants don’t require you to shave down the enamel on the adjacent teeth, allowing you to retain more of your natural smile.
How do I get dental implants?
All it takes for Dr. Cheney to install your dental implants are a couple of visits to the Complete Dental Arts offices.
During your first visit, Dr. Cheney numbs the area around the missing tooth with a local anesthetic and makes a small surgical incision into your gums and jawbone. He secures the implant in your bone socket, then stitches you up, places a healing cap on your surgery site, and sends you home to recover.
After 3-9 months, your implant will have successfully fused to your jawbone, at which point you’ll come back for your second visit. Dr. Cheney inspects the implant to ensure that it fused properly, and then affixes a custom-designed crown, bridge, or dentures. You’ll walk out of his office feeling like you never had a missing tooth to begin with.
Don’t wait to improve your smile. Schedule an appointment today with Complete Dental Arts today by calling the offices or using the convenient online booking tool.
