Implants: What Are You Looking To Achieve?

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When you’re looking for a way to replace your missing teeth and you feel that dental implants are the answer to your tooth loss concerns, you may be surprised by your options. Choosing implants isn’t a one-option choice. Instead, you have multiple pathways down which to travel as you replace your teeth and complete your smile. To find out more regarding your tooth loss pattern and your options, we encourage you to take a quick glance at the particulars.

Just One Missing Tooth

If you are just missing one tooth, you have one option if you wish to receive dental implants: You may choose a single crown implant. This means we will place one implant post within the open socket. Then, we will restore that post with a dental crown.

Multiple Teeth Side-by-Side

Perhaps you are missing several teeth all in a row. If so, you have two options.

  • First: You may choose single implants as already explained, replacing one tooth at a time.
  • Second: You may choose an implant-retained dental bridge to restore your missing teeth. We will generally place two implants, which will offer solid support to a modified dental bridge.

Scattered Teeth

Do you have teeth that are missing throughout your arch, though they are not all next to each other? This may be something we can most easily address with the use of dental implants and the placement of a partial denture. You may, of course, also choose to replace these teeth with single implants.

A Complete Arch

You can restore a full arch of teeth with single crown dental implants. Then again, you may wish to receive a full denture that has been modified to fit securely over carefully placed implants for amazing stability.

ABOUT YOUR SANTA ROSA, CA, ORAL SURGEONS:

Combining experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a genuine care for their patients’ health and comfort, the team at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery is ready to improve the health and beauty of smiles in the Sonoma County and North Bay area. To schedule a consultation, contact our office by calling 707-545-4625 (Santa Rosa).

Happy Holidays (And Don’t Forget About Your Smile)!

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We wouldn’t be an oral surgery practice, of course, if we could make it through a single sentence without reminding you about your smile. While the upcoming holiday weekend is going to be chock full of surprises and fun, we would like to help offer the slightest morsel of a recommendation: Take a little bit of our advice to heart, so you wake up on Monday morning with a smile that’s still healthy, comfortable, and in wonderful shape. Now that we’ve made our suggestion for responsible merriment, we send out our warmest wishes for a lovely celebration!

Skip Foods On The Dangerous List

When you look at a food that you know could potentially (and quickly) damage your smile, whether you have dental implants in place, a natural smile, you have oral surgery scheduled for the future, or otherwise: Skip it. You will always be much happier with intact teeth than without!

Say Yes To Indulging If You Wish

Want to indulge in that apple pie, hot cocoa, sugar cookie, and the list goes on and on? Go ahead! Just remember that it’s all about keeping your smile clean as often as you can. When you coat it in sugar, be sure to rinse it with water. When possible, go ahead and brush after snacks and desserts, too.

Remember To Brush And Floss

Remember that during your holiday celebration, plaque isn’t going to be off on a vacation. As always, it will coat your teeth. Avoid encouraging future problems by brushing and flossing as you usually do.

Don’t Let The Merriment Sweep You Up

Planning on contacting us to discuss your upcoming oral surgery? Need a consultation? While it’s important you don’t forget to relax this weekend, it’s equally important you remember to pick up where you left off afterwards. Need a visit? Pick up the phone and call our team, we would love to hear from you.

ABOUT YOUR ROHNERT PARK, CA, ORAL SURGEONS:

Combining experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a genuine care for their patients’ health and comfort, the team at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery is ready to improve the health and beauty of smiles in the Sonoma County and North Bay area. To schedule a consultation, contact our office by calling 707-545-4625 (Santa Rosa).

Q&A: Impacted Wisdom Teeth

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Are you less curious about whether or not you will require wisdom teeth removal and a lot more interested in understanding why impacted wisdom teeth occur? Since this extremely common concern is something you might not know much about (but that may also be the potential cause of future oral surgery for you), we are always happy to provide our patients with the essential knowledge that makes third molars less of a mystery. Enjoy an introduction to the details with a Q&A session!

Questions and Answers: Impacted Third Molars

Question: What are impacted wisdom teeth? I know that it’s a dangerous problem that results in the need for wisdom teeth removal but I’m not really sure what it means.

Answer: These are your third molars (the final set of molars to develop after your two previous sets). If they are impacted, they will not be able to come in (erupt) fully or correctly.

Question: Do all people end up with impacted wisdom teeth? Should I just assume this has already happened to me or that it will affect my children?

Answer: This does not affect everyone, though it is quite common. Some individuals experience full, healthy eruption of wisdom teeth. Others do not develop third molars at all.

Question: Why do wisdom teeth become impacted? Is there something I could have done to prevent this?

Answer: In most instances, no, there’s nothing you can do preventively to stop your wisdom teeth from becoming impacted. You may (and should), however, agree to wisdom teeth removal if your teeth are impacted. Impaction is generally the result of insufficient room for teeth to grow in and erupt.

ABOUT YOUR SANTA ROSA, CA, ORAL SURGEONS:

Combining experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a genuine care for their patients’ health and comfort, the team at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery is ready to improve the health and beauty of smiles in the Sonoma County and North Bay area. To schedule a consultation, contact our office by calling 707-545-4625 (Santa Rosa).

Help! My Implant Feels Sensitive!

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Have you been wondering what’s going on with your oral health because you are experiencing dental implant sensitivity? Are you scratching your head regarding the sensations you’re feeling because you know that your implant and restoration have no nerves, which means something else must be going on? The good news is that letting us know the moment something doesn’t feel quite right is your best bet in resolving the problem and regaining your comfort. As for what might be happening and what to do, consider some helpful words of advice.

What Could It Be?

If you’re experiencing sensitivity that you attribute to a sensitive dental implant, multiple things might be going on. In many instances, you might be experiencing sensitivity of a nearby tooth that seems like it’s your implant. This could be caused by anything from irritation to decay or infection. Or, it could be related to the gum tissue surrounding your implant. Inflammation is entirely possible and can lead to problems (or failure). Then, or course, there are also other potential factors (and solutions!).

What You Should Do

When you have a dental implant in place and sensitivity occurs, you should schedule a visit with our team immediately. Give us a call, let us know what’s happening, and come in. This gives us the opportunity to examine your smile nice and early, so if a problem has begun to affect your oral health, we can treat the issue before serious complications arise. Remember to take a deep breath, relax, and take comfort in the fact that we have helped patient after patient with concerns just like yours.

ABOUT YOUR SANTA ROSA, CA, ORAL SURGEONS:

Combining experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a genuine care for their patients’ health and comfort, the team at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery is ready to improve the health and beauty of smiles in the Sonoma County and North Bay area. To schedule a consultation, contact our office by calling 707-545-4625 (Santa Rosa).

Bring Us Your Severe Smile Concerns

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We have heard far too many times from patients that want help for their smiles but feel too embarrassed (or assume their oral health is too bad for care). To these worries, we always respond in the same way. We explain that from our technical standpoint as oral surgeons, we see a project that requires the appropriate treatment, simple as that! Fortunately, our techniques and technology are comprehensive and capable of addressing your smile care needs when surgery is required. Do yourself a favor: Put your concerns to the side and contact us for a visit, so we can replace your anxieties with factual details about improving your smile.

Bring Us Your Damaged Jawbone

If you are like many of our patients, you might feel like you need to hide your jawbone damage because you are embarrassed about it or feel defeated regarding your oral health. What you need to know is that ignoring jaw deterioration will only allow the problem to worsen. Come see us, so we may discuss grafting, sinus lifts, and other modes of improving your smile.

Come To Us With Missing Teeth

Our team of oral surgeons loves seeing patients with missing teeth because we offer such an extraordinary way of completing smiles after tooth loss. Don’t feel shy about the open spaces in your smile. We can assist you with dental implants and any necessary pre-implant procedures, so you get your smile back.

Show Up With Your Jaw Development Problems

We offer jaw surgery, so you can enjoy a smile that looks esthetically pleasing and that allows you to make it through your day comfortably and with normal function. While you might think this sounds like an extreme issue, it’s not. It’s something we see all the time and that we are extremely experienced in addressing. You will quickly find that meeting with oral surgeons about your jaw will shed light on the fact that it’s entirely treatable.

ABOUT YOUR ROHNERT PARK, CA, ORAL SURGEONS:

Combining experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a genuine care for their patients’ health and comfort, the team at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery is ready to improve the health and beauty of smiles in the Sonoma County and North Bay area. To schedule a consultation, contact our office by calling 707-545-4625 (Santa Rosa).

An End Of Year Refresher: Dental Implant Basics

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Perhaps you are new to the exciting world of dental implants and have some questions about how to get started, what to expect, and other essential information. We are always happy to meet with patients who are just beginning to learn about replacing their missing teeth. Keep in mind that we are here to help you and that there are many ways to rely on implants as you seek out a solution to address your tooth loss. For now, let’s begin at the beginning.

About Getting Started

To begin, you won’t need to do anything strenuous or complicated. We simply suggest you pick up the phone, call our practice, and let us know you would like to come in to see our friendly team for a dental implant consultation. Then, it’s just a matter of showing up, so we can talk with you about your options, while providing more information about implants.

What To Expect

If we determine that dental implants will make a good solution for your tooth loss replacement, you will find yourself embarking on a journey that will last several months to a year (it all depends on your unique care plan). We will begin with the surgical placement of implants, which will be followed by recovery. After the posts bond with your jawbone, you will visit us to complete your tooth replacement. Fortunately, you can expect amazing stability and a smile that can last for the rest of your life.

The General Details Of Implants

The essential parts and lingo will help you as you continue your introduction into this tooth replacement option. Consider the following:

  • Dental Implant Post: This is the part of the replacement that restores your missing roots.
  • Abutment: The abutment will connect your “roots” with the rest of your “tooth” or your restoration.
  • Restoration: This is the part of your replacement that restores your tooth above your gum tissue.

ABOUT YOUR SANTA ROSA, CA, ORAL SURGEONS:

Combining experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a genuine care for their patients’ health and comfort, the team at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery is ready to improve the health and beauty of smiles in the Sonoma County and North Bay area. To schedule a consultation, contact our office by calling 707-545-4625 (Santa Rosa).

Why is Surgical Tooth Extraction Necessary?

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When you think of tooth extraction, you might imagine your dentist gently grasping a tooth and carefully loosening and removing it. However, some tooth extraction procedures aren’t as simple, depending on the nature and severity of the tooth’s damage or infection. In some cases, surgical tooth extraction may be necessary to safely remove the tooth, and the procedure is more complex than simple tooth extraction. While impacted wisdom teeth are the most common reasons for surgical extraction, other teeth might also require surgery, such as if the tooth is broken into several pieces.

What is Surgical Extraction?

Unlike simple tooth extraction, surgical extraction involves accessing the tooth’s structure underneath the gums by making a small incision in the tissues. Through the incision, your oral surgeon can safely extract the tooth and its root(s) without damaging nearby tissues and jawbone structure. Because surgery is involved, you may need sutures afterwards to allow your gums to heal properly before replacing the tooth.

When Surgery is Needed

Surgical tooth extraction is only recommended when the procedure is absolutely necessary. For instance, in the case of impacted wisdom teeth, the molars can fail to erupt from the gums and/or jawbone, making it impossible for your dentist to grasp the tooth. Surgically extracting the impacted wisdom tooth will stop the molar from damaging nearby teeth and oral structures. Besides wisdom teeth, however, other common reasons for surgical tooth extraction include:

  • Thin or oddly shaped teeth roots
  • Broken or fractured teeth roots
  • Teeth that are severely infected with internal decay
  • Teeth that have broken into several different pieces
  • And more

ABOUT YOUR SANTA ROSA, CA, ORAL SURGEONS:

Combining experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a genuine care for their patients’ health and comfort, the team at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery is ready to improve the health and beauty of smiles in the Sonoma County and North Bay area. To schedule a consultation, contact our office by calling 707-545-4625 (Santa Rosa).

Giving Yourself The Gift Of Oral Surgery

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Are you happy to gather up tons of goodies for everyone in your life that you love (but you haven’t gone out of your way to give yourself the one gift you truly want this year: A healthy smile)? If this resonates with you, we certainly aren’t going to steer you away from spreading joy to the special people in your life. We are, however, going to nudge you just a bit in an effort to offer some motivation to reach your own goals. After all, the holidays are just the right moment to add yourself to your own gift list, particularly when oral surgery to attain a healthy smile is your wish! Consider some helpful steps.

Step #1: Consider The Benefits

Take a moment to think over the benefits of choosing to move forward with oral surgery. Depending on your particular needs, the choice may offer you one or more of the following:

  • Improved confidence
  • An improved quality of life
  • The removal of discomfort from your daily experience
  • A healthier smile
  • The ability to smile, eat, and speak without a challenge

Step #2: Remember, Only You Can Select This Gift

It would be lovely, of course, if you could plan on waking up to a holiday gift wrapped in beautiful paper and ribbons that contained exceptional oral health. However, the journey required of receiving oral surgery to attain the smile you want is one that only you can gift yourself. As a result, we encourage you to reflect on this fact and realize a healthy smile will carry you through your life and is certainly worth it.

Step #3: Give Us A Call

When you decide you’re ready to give yourself the gift of the oral surgery you need, you need only to give us a call!

ABOUT YOUR ROHNERT PARK, CA, ORAL SURGEONS:

Combining experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a genuine care for their patients’ health and comfort, the team at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery is ready to improve the health and beauty of smiles in the Sonoma County and North Bay area. To schedule a consultation, contact our office by calling 707-545-4625 (Santa Rosa).

Why Tooth Loss Happens To Good People

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Are you feeling a little frustrated as a result of your tooth loss? Are you perfectly happy that you have oral surgery options like dental implants at your disposal but you are still unsure why you’re dealing with missing teeth, while other people you know never seem to experience much more than a cavity? It’s important to remember that there are a lot of little factors that go into preserving your teeth, that sometimes losing a tooth just happens, and that there’s more to it than meets the eye. Let us help you sort through the details, so you can move forward with optimism about your future smile.

It Could Be Physiological

The way your body works includes all sorts of things, from your genetic makeup to the balance of your hormones and more. Sometimes, certain factors make you more likely to experience problems that can lead to tooth loss (such as gum disease, a problem that can increase due to genetics or hormones). Some people (an extremely small percentage) are immune to developing cavities. As you can see, requiring dental implants or other tooth replacement solutions is something that may result in part from your unique body.

It Could Be Your Care

When you are a child, you are not in control of your dental hygiene or professional dental care. If practices are consistent in early years, you start off your life with a healthy smile. If not, you may experience gum disease, tooth decay, or other issues that set the stage for a more complex experience in later years. When you are a teen and adult, you may take wonderful care of your smile or you may become lax with your efforts. Any damage that occurs may contribute to eventual tooth loss. When you put all of these factors together, it may help you better understand the way different smiles often have drastically different experiences!

ABOUT YOUR SANTA ROSA, CA, ORAL SURGEONS:

Combining experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a genuine care for their patients’ health and comfort, the team at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery is ready to improve the health and beauty of smiles in the Sonoma County and North Bay area. To schedule a consultation, contact our office by calling 707-545-4625 (Santa Rosa).

Make Use Of Your 2016 Insurance Benefits!

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In many instances, you rely on your dental insurance benefits to ensure you can receive the oral surgery that you need for your smile. Of course, this can require thoughtful planning throughout the year, so you may optimize your benefits and protect your oral health. As we are about to usher in a new year and bid farewell to 2016, we offer up a quick reminder: Review your smile plans and your insurance plan to make sure you’re up-to-date before the year is through.

Not Sure Where To Begin?

It’s important to note that while we cannot provide you with specifics regarding your very unique dental insurance plan, our team is certainly adept at assisting you. Insurance can prove rather confusing! So, we suggest that you speak with us about your benefits, your plans for your smile, and your questions. We are happy to provide any help we can offer from our side regarding figuring out costs and creating a care plan.

Why This Is So Important

Everyone’s dental insurance plan works differently. As a result, you may make assumptions that your benefits will continue from one year to the next but you may be surprised to learn that they don’t (and possibly when it’s too late to complete oral surgery plans). Protect your goals for your smile and your oral health by becoming informed quickly, so you can secure any required care before we wave our final goodbye to 2016.

ABOUT YOUR SANTA ROSA, CA, ORAL SURGEONS:

Combining experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a genuine care for their patients’ health and comfort, the team at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery is ready to improve the health and beauty of smiles in the Sonoma County and North Bay area. To schedule a consultation, contact our office by calling 707-545-4625 (Santa Rosa).