Dental implants are biocompatible posts made from titanium that we insert into the jawbone. They bond with the bone tissue and act as a new root, supporting your new smile, whether you have one lost tooth or several. But how does your Woodland Hills, CA, dentist prepare your smile to receive these new roots? What factors do we consider when assessing a patient’s candidacy?
Addressing Underlying Oral Health Concerns
We may lose natural teeth as a result of injury, but often the cause is related to our oral health. For example, the late stage of gum disease is the most common cause of tooth loss, as is untreated cavities and infections. Which means we need to assess the health of your smile and diagnose any underlying concerns that could threaten your dental implants. If you have gum disease, then we may suggest treatment to manage the disease and prevent the later stages that could cause implant failure or further tooth loss.
Ensuring Strong Jawbones
When we lose natural teeth, this could cause the body to stop sending doses of calcium and phosphorus to the jawbone. Without these nutrients, the bone tissue loses mass and density, breaking down and causing an aged appearance and further tooth loss. If you’ve lost enough jawbone tissue that supporting a new root is impossible, then we may suggest jawbone grafting or ridge augmentation to shore up your smile and allow it to support new teeth.
Dental Extractions
If you’ve lost the majority of your teeth, then your missing teeth may be too numerous to be addressed with an implant-secured bridge or partial. Instead, you may need a complete denture. We often start by extracting remaining teeth, before we plan and guide the placement of multiple dental implants per arch. We then attach a prosthetic to address the lost teeth and provide a full smile once again. Since the body sees dental implants as natural roots, this stimulates the growth of jawbone structure, preventing further tooth loss or implant failure. If you have any questions about treating tooth loss, or about the implant dentistry process, then contact our team today. We will make sure this is the best choice for your smile, and if we need to address underlying oral health concerns we will. Our team wants to offer patients a chance to enjoy a complete, functional smile that looks great!
Do You Have Questions About The Implant Placement Process?
We want to offer solutions for people with one or more missing teeth. For more information on our lifelike dental implants, then please schedule a consultation by calling Woodland Hills Dental Arts in Woodland Hills, CA today at 818-347-5124. We also proudly welcome patients from Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Encino, Sherman Oaks, and all surrounding communities.