Dental implants are replacement roots for missing teeth that look and feel like natural teeth. This restoration option has many advantages, including effectively restoring your smile’s function and appearance. Missing teeth can make it difficult to eat and speak normally. In addition, they can negatively affect your jawbone health by causing bone loss over time. At Cedar Creek Dental, Dr. Phil Han replaces missing teeth with dental implants to help prevent these effects from occurring. After they have been placed, most patients find that their implants feel natural and can quickly eat all their favorite foods. The implant posts also stimulate the jaw, which helps prevent further bone atrophy.
The Dental Implant Procedure
A dental implant is a titanium rod surgically placed into your upper or lower jaw bone to serve as an artificial tooth root. The implant is an anchor for a replacement tooth that looks and functions like a natural tooth. Our dentist may recommend dental implants if you are missing one or more teeth due to an injury, disease, or extraction. For people with missing teeth, implants offer a permanent solution that does not involve removable dentures. Dental implant procedures typically take several appointments over several months to complete, but the results can last a lifetime with proper care.
The Benefits of Dental Implants
Dental implants can replace one missing tooth, several missing teeth, or even an entire arch of teeth. They are the only type of restoration that can support various prostheses that restore all necessary oral functions. Other restorations like bridges or dentures only restore a portion of the mouth’s functionality. For example, a bridge is usually used to replace one or more consecutive missing teeth, but it cannot replace a tooth with no neighboring teeth for support. Similarly, a partial denture replaces multiple missing teeth in a row but cannot replace an entire set of missing teeth. Unlike both restorations, an implant can replace a single tooth without altering any remaining natural teeth.
Dental implants are surgically placed in the jawbone and have a dental crown attached to it to complete the process. Once in place, they function and feel just like a natural tooth. In addition to restoring oral functions, they also look very natural. No one will be able to tell that you have an implant unless you tell them yourself. Dental implant-supported restorations are an excellent option for patients who want to restore their smile with a permanent restoration. The implants allow them to eat, speak, and smile confidently.
If you’re missing one or more teeth, you are probably an ideal candidate for dental implants. To learn more about dental implants, visit Cedar Creek Dental, Office of Dr. Phil Han, at 11786 SW Barnes Rd #360, Portland, OR 97225, or call (503) 646-1811.
