We use oral surgery to aid in the treatment of your missing teeth, securing dental implants to offer an option that not only looks natural, but can last for years to come. In today’s blog, your Santa Rosas , CA, oral surgeons talk about how we plan and place dental implants, whether you have one lost tooth or need fixed dentures!
The Causes of Tooth Loss
How do we lose our natural teeth in the first place? Often, poor oral health is the cause. For example, an untreated cavity or infection could lead to a lost tooth, or require extraction to prevent the spread of infection. The number one cause is periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease, which causes the tissues connecting your teeth and gums to deteriorate, causing missing teeth. But outside of oral health, accidents and injuries could also lead to lost teeth. Regardless of the cause, you need to seek tooth replacement to avoid major complications!
The Impact on Your Smile
Whether you have minor or severe tooth loss, you could have complications with your oral health. For example, you then gaps could cause misalignment, as teeth drift from position. This alone leads to an increased risk of tooth decay and gum disease. The missing teeth could strain your jaw joints and lead to complications like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding), which could cause painful symptoms and damage your teeth. You may have issues eating a variety of different foods, and could suffer difficulty speaking clearly too. The most severe complication however is the loss of mass and density in the jaw, which occurs as the body stops sending calcium and phosphorus to the areas of the jaw with missing roots. This means a regular break down in the jaw linked to further tooth loss and even a much older appearance. But dental implants can counter these complications!
The Dental Implant Difference
Dental implants don’t need crowns, suction, or clasps to stay in place. Instead, we will surgically insert a biocompatible titanium cylinder in the jaw, one that acts as a new root and causes the body to resume the flow of calcium and phosphorus, preserving your smile and allowing your new tooth to last for decades as opposed to just 5 or 10 years. We can use one to secure an individual replacement tooth, capping it with a lifelike crown to complete it. Our team could also place several to support a bridge or even a fixed denture, one that lasts far longer than removable options!
Planning Placement
Our team will take detailed digital x-rays and intraoral camera images to assess the state of your smile, and see if you need treatment for underlying oral health issues, or treatments like grafting or sinus lifts to strengthen your smile. We also choose the best angle and position to insert the post to ensure they can stimulate the growth of jawbone structure and support a new tooth or teeth.
Sedation
Our team wants to make sure the placement process is comfortable for you, which is why in addition to a local anesthesia, our team can also provide sedation to help you enter a calm and relaxed state, even if you have dental anxiety, so your experience is a comfortable and positive one, with little to no memory of the procedure afterward. The sedation we choose will depend on your age, weight, medical history, and anxiety levels.
Implant Dentures
Our team can use options like All-On-Four and TreFoil to support a complete set of dentures with as little as three to four dental implant posts, usually connected with a titanium bar. With these options, as soon as we place the posts, we can connect abutments and attach your denture, so you leave with a complete smile. You then return later so we can swap the temporary denture for the final one, and you never live with an incomplete smile. Many patients prefer this as they can receive implant dentures even if they have a weakened jawbone, no need for grafting or sinus lifts beforehand.
If you have any questions about how we handle tooth loss with our durable and long-lasting dental implants, then reach out to our team today to learn more. Everyone deserves a full smile, and dental implants offer one that looks and functions like natural teeth.
Schedule an Implant Consultation with Our Team Today
We would like to help you avoid the major impacts of untreated tooth loss with an advanced treatment option. If you would like to learn more about treating the loss of your teeth, then contact your Santa Rosa, CA, oral surgeons by calling (707)545-4625.
