CURRENT COVID PROTOCOL STATUS: Effective April 3rd, 2023, the Washington State Department of Health will end the masking requirements in healthcare. You may choose to wear a mask in our office if you prefer. As usual if you are experience ANY symptoms related to COVID-19 or have been in contact with anyone that has been exposed or tested positive, we ask that you do not come into our office at this time. Symptomps may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. If you any of these symptoms, you may have COVID-19. As always for the safety of you and the health of those around you we encourage you to be tested.

alarm-ringing ambulance angle2 archive arrow-down arrow-left arrow-right arrow-up at-sign baby baby2 bag binoculars book-open book2 bookmark2 bubble calendar-check calendar-empty camera2 cart chart-growth check chevron-down chevron-left chevron-right chevron-up circle-minus circle city clapboard-play clipboard-empty clipboard-text clock clock2 cloud-download cloud-windy cloud clubs cog cross crown cube youtube diamond4 diamonds drop-crossed drop2 earth ellipsis envelope-open envelope exclamation eye-dropper eye facebook file-empty fire flag2 flare foursquare gift glasses google graph hammer-wrench heart-pulse heart home instagram joystick lamp layers lifebuoy link linkedin list lock magic-wand map-marker map medal-empty menu microscope minus moon mustache-glasses paper-plane paperclip papers pen pencil pie-chart pinterest plus-circle plus power printer pushpin question rain reading receipt recycle reminder sad shield-check smartphone smile soccer spades speed-medium spotlights star-empty star-half star store sun-glasses sun tag telephone thumbs-down thumbs-up tree tumblr twitter tiktok wechat user users wheelchair write yelp youtube

What Are Dental Implants?

Modern dentistry is incredible.

Tooth decay, accidents, and injuries that once would have left someone with a gap in their smile that they could never fill can now be treated so that everything looks and works about as good as new. In many cases, those teeth can even be saved through root canal therapy. When that isn’t possible, dental implants are effective ways to fill in the gaps.

How Implants Compare to False Teeth

Dentures have been a solution for missing teeth for centuries, but they have a few notable flaws. When we use our own teeth to chew, it stimulates the jaw bone and keeps it strong. Dentures aren’t very effective at providing this stimulation, resulting in bone loss in the jaws. This, in turn, can lead to the dentures not fitting very well, so they can slip and fall out easily and leave the gums feeling sore.

Implants, on the other hand, are placed into the jawbone and function the same way as the roots of teeth. Implants greatly reduce the risk of bone loss and they won’t slip and slide while you’re trying to chew your food or have an engaging conversation. You can even brush them the same way as regular teeth! True, the price tag can be higher with implants than dentures, but that’s pretty much the only advantage dentures have.

Different Types of Implants

Dentures come in different types, depending on the needs and budget of the individual patient. Endosteal implants are a great choice for patients with strong, healthy jaws. They consist of titanium posts inserted into the jaw through oral surgery. Once the site has had time to heal, a second surgery follows and a crown that matches the other teeth is placed.

If the patient doesn’t have enough healthy jaw bone to support endosteal implants, they could still benefit from subperiosteal implants. These implants consist of metal frames that the oral surgeon places between the jawbone and the gum tissue. Posts attach to this framework and protrude through the gums so that crowns can be attached.

Implants and Braces?

Braces generally come first for patients who need both orthodontic treatment and implants. Unlike natural teeth, implants won’t move once they’re in place. In some cases, however, an implant can be placed before or during orthodontic treatment so that it can serve as an anchor to help the other teeth move to the desired positions.

Are Implants Right for You?

Millions of Americans get dental implants to fill the gaps in their smiles every year. If you’d like to learn more about this excellent modern solution to an age-old dental problem, we’re happy to answer your questions!

Our favorite smiles are our patients’!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.