For people who are missing teeth, dental implants can seem like the lifeline they’ve always dreamed of. However, having dental implants placed is not a simple cosmetic procedure. San Francisco Dental Implant Center can place dental implants for patients who live in San Carlos, CA and throughout the entire Bay Area.
On this page, we will discuss what dental implants are, what they can do for your oral health, and how the placement process works.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are created using titanium or ceramic. They serve as artificial roots for replacement teeth, helping to hold them strongly in place.
What Are the Benefits of Dental Implants?
The first and foremost benefit of dental implants is aesthetic. A dental implant with a crown on top will look just like a natural tooth. No one will even be able to tell you have an implant! But dental implants also have many benefits when it comes to the health and function of your mouth. Here are just a few of them:
- Your ability to chew and speak will improve greatly with dental implants, especially if you’re switching to implants after using dentures. Traditional dentures can slip and slide around your mouth, which can hinder your ability to speak and chew.
- Dental implants will feel much more comfortable in general, as slipping dentures can irritate your gums, causing soreness and infection.
- Your gums change shape to constantly adjust to empty gaps in your mouth. Dental implants fill these gaps, preventing the growth of bacteria.
- Dental implants can protect against bone loss. When you lose teeth and don’t replace them, the stability of your jawbone can be negatively affected, leading to bone loss and even changes in your face shape. Since implants are designed to mimic your natural teeth, they help to stabilize the jawbone and prevent bone loss.
- Dental implants allow plenty of room between teeth for proper brushing and flossing.
- Dental implants also offer oral health benefits over dental bridges. Bridges can require the filing down of teeth, which can negatively affect your long-term oral health. There’s no such worry with dental implants.
If you take care of dental implants properly, they should last you the rest of your life. In contrast, dentures need to be periodically adjusted and replaced completely every 5-8 years.
Contact us for a consult or call (415) 992-9188 now!
What Is the Step-by-Step Process for Getting Dental Implants?
Before we do anything else, the team at San Francisco Dental Implant Center must determine whether you are a good candidate for dental implants. In general, if your mouth is healthy enough to have a tooth extracted or a root canal done, it is healthy enough to have dental implants placed. But we need to be sure.
To start, we will complete an oral and medical examination on you, as dental implants will involve at least one surgical procedure. Basically, we want to make sure your mouth and body can heal properly from the surgery. High-definition images will be taken of your mouth and used to create 3D models of it for a proper fit. Please make sure we have a list of all your medical conditions, as well as any medications you are currently taking, even OTC medications. If you are taking certain medications, like blood thinners, you may be asked to stop them temporarily. However, do not stop taking anything without the advice of your doctor or dentist. If you have certain medical conditions or have had joint replacement surgery done, you may be given an antibiotic to prevent infection. If so, please be sure to take it exactly as prescribed.
At San Francisco Dental Implant Center, you have the option of either nitrous oxide or oral or IV sedation for the procedure. Please note that if you choose either oral or IV sedation, you will need to arrange for transportation to and from your appointment.
Once we have ensured you are a viable candidate and ensured your comfort during the procedure, we will start the dental implant process. First, we will need to remove the old tooth if it hasn’t yet come out. If you lack enough bone in your jaw to support the implant, bone grafting will then be done using either bone from another part of your body or synthetic materials. If your implant is to be placed in the upper rear portion of your mouth, you may have to undergo a sinus augmentation. If you must have bone grafting or sinus augmentation done, be prepared for a recovery period of several months before we can move on.
Following healing, the implant is placed by cutting an incision in your gum and drilling two holes that are just large enough to hold the implant in your jawbone. Once again, a period of several months will be needed for proper healing and bone growth around the implant.
As soon as your jaw has healed around the dental implant, the abutment, or connecting part, is placed on top of the implant. There will be a recovery period following this stage too, but it’s usually only 2 weeks. Finally, the new tooth is placed over the implant.
Please contact us if you have any questions. We want to be sure you fully understand the procedure before we start to work on it.
Why Choose an Oral Surgeon for Your Dental Implants?
Dr. Alex Rabinovich of San Francisco Dental Implant Center has both a medical and dental degree, as well as advanced training in oral, maxillofacial, and facial plastic surgery. Therefore, he is well-versed in both dental implant and bone grafting procedures. Your mouth is in the best of hands with him. He seeks to make sure each patient is getting the best value for their money possible.
If you’d like to learn more about dental implants or schedule a consultation, please contact our office. We proudly serve patients in San Carlos, CA, and look forward to working with you.
Call the San Francisco Dental Implant Center today at (415) 992-9188, or email us at info@doctorrabinovich.com.
