Cosmetic Dentist in Cottonwood Offers Dental Implants

A dental implant is a small, screw-shaped titanium post designed to replace the root of a missing tooth, allowing a replacement to be fixed in place to improve the smile’s appearance. The oral surgery that is used to insert a dental implant is minor and routine, typically only requiring local anesthesia. After a healing period of about three to six months, allowing time for the implant to fuse to the jawbone, your dentist will top the implant with a lifelike crown that is custom-made to match the shape and color of your natural teeth.

Implant Uses for Tooth Replacement

In addition to being used as a replacement for a single tooth, dental implants can be used in the following ways:

Multiple Tooth Replacement

Implants can even be used to replace multiple teeth. Rather than needing an implant for each missing tooth, dental implants can act as supports for fixed bridgework. For example, if you have three missing teeth in a row, we can place two implants, one on each side of the gap with a crown in between that doesn’t have an implant underneath. This prevents the need for using natural teeth as support. Using natural teeth as a support for bridgework can cause the teeth to weaken and become susceptible to tooth decay and root canal problems.

Implant-Supported Overdentures

Implants can make dentures more comfortable and effective. Traditional dentures need support from the gums and underlying bone to stay in place. The pressure from the dentures accelerates bone loss, so eventually, the gum and bone ridges cannot hold the dentures in place. However, with implant-supported dentures, your general dentist places implants into the gums that hold a set of removable dentures. By utilizing these implants, pressure is transferred into the bone structure rather than its surface, preserving the bone underneath the dentures. This stability prevents the tongue from accidentally displacing a lower denture.