Dental Implants Specialist

Why replace missing teeth?

When most people think about missing teeth, it’s the aesthetic implications they consider. While one or more missing teeth can certainly make it hard to feel confident about your smile, there are other serious health issues that come into play. 

Each of your natural teeth is anchored directly into the underlying bone tissue. When you chew or bite down, your teeth stimulate that bone, keeping it healthy and strong.

If you lose one or more teeth, the underlying bone loses that stimulation. Over time, the bone tissue can begin to wear away, a process called resorption. That can weaken the connection with surrounding teeth, leading to a cascade of tooth loss.  

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are a treatment to replace missing teeth - they act as replacement roots. Park Place Smiles offers crowns, bridges, and dentures as restoration options for implants, which anchor into your bone tissue, offering a permanent solution. 

Because dental implants are seated firmly within your natural bone tissue, they provide the same stimulation as natural teeth. Once in place, your implants look and function just like the rest of your teeth and may last a lifetime. At Park Place Smiles, a highly trained and experienced specialist performs your implant procedure. 

What are the steps to get a dental implant?

If you have a damaged tooth that is beyond repair, the first step is an extraction to remove the tooth and make way for the new implant. Next, your provider creates an opening in your gum tissue to access the bone that lies beneath. 

They drill a small pilot hole into the bone to guide the placement of the post portion of the implant. This small metal portion serves as the new tooth “root.”

A period of healing follows, allowing your bone tissue to fuse to the implant post. Once that process is complete, you return to Park Place Smiles to have the crown or other restoration portion of the implant created and then attached. 

Some implants use a small piece called an abutment to connect the post and crown. Others can connect directly. The final step takes place over time as your gum tissue adheres to the sides of the restoration. 

Dental implants require no special care. Simply brush and floss normally, and avoid biting down on hard objects that could harm your implants. 

When you’re ready to learn more, call Park Place Smiles to set up an appointment or request one online today.