Dental Implants Specialist

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are titanium posts that replace your natural tooth roots. They’re placed beneath your gums during an outpatient procedure and integrate with your jawbone over time. 

After the implants fuse with your jaw, your Lakeside Family Dental provider covers them with crowns, bridges, or implant-supported dentures. These prosthetics restore your smile to its near-original condition and allow you to bite and chew.

What are the benefits of dental implants?

Dental implants offer various benefits, including:

• Easier biting and chewing
• Improved oral health
• Convenience
• Improved oral health

Dental implants are also durable. If you brush and floss daily and visit Lakeside Family Dental twice each year for an oral exam and professional teeth cleaning, they can last a lifetime.

What is the process for getting dental implants?

At Lakeside Family Dental, getting dental implants takes at least three visits.

First dental implants visit

During the first visit, your Lakeside Family Dental provider conducts an oral exam and takes X-rays to assess your gums and jaw. If you have enough bone to support the implants and there aren’t signs of gum disease, your dentist numbs your mouth and places a series of implants into your jaw.

After the placement procedure, your provider writes a prescription for pain medication and provides care instructions for home.

Second dental implants visit

It takes several months for dental implants to fuse with your jaw. Once that happens, you return to Lakeside Family Dental, and your provider takes scans of your mouth. They send your scans to a lab that manufactures your crowns, bridges, or implant-supported dentures.

Third dental implants visit

When the lab finishes your implant restorations, you return to Lakeside Family Dental. Your dentist attaches the restorations to your dental implants, polishes them, and explains how to care for them.

Can anyone get dental implants?

You need to have a healthy jaw and gums to get dental implants. If your Lakeside Family Dental provider determines that you have gum disease or low bone volume, they might recommend periodontal treatment first. 

For example, if you don’t have enough bone to support the implants, your provider might recommend a bone graft. A bone graft involves your dentist inserting a piece of synthetic bone material into your jaw. Once placed, the graft encourages the production of new bone tissue.

If you’re interested in replacing missing permanent teeth with dental implants, make an appointment at Lakeside Family Dental by calling the office or booking online today.