Implant Restorations in Santee CA

Individuals who have lost their natural teeth would often like to get it replaced by a prosthetic one, which is the right way to go about it. Leaving a missing tooth as it is can lead to a lot of drawbacks, such as deteriorating jawbone and its health, drifting of the adjoining teeth, poor oral functionality, displeasing smile, hindered confidence levels, etc. Hence, we recommend getting missing teeth restored at the earliest by your dentist in Santee, as it can keep you from going through a lot of drawbacks.

Structure of an implant

A dental implant is mainly composed of 3 components, namely the tooth crown, a metal stud, and a connecting abutment. The visible tooth-like structure is made from highly durable ceramic material. It can be shaped to resemble a natural tooth perfectly. The metal stud is made from Titanium, one of the hardest known metals. It has screw-like grooves on its surface, which help the dentist insert it in place and prevent it from loosening from the socket. Both these components will be connected using an abutment.

Why are implants highly recommended?

• Strength: Implants are, by far, the strongest known tooth restorations. Since they are made from highly strong and durable materials, the chances of an implant breaking or snapping off is minimal.
• Stability: Once the implant is fixed in the jawbone, it would fuse with the bone structure. This offers excellent stability and keeps the prosthetic tooth from getting displaced when you bite or chew food.
• Durability: The ceramic crown used to fabricate the prosthetic tooth is made from dental-grade ceramic, a highly durable material. The prosthetic crown would remain as good as new for many years with little or no hassle at all.
• Functionality: After getting an implant, the oral functionalities will be returned to normal. Patients will be able to bite and chew food like they used to before losing their teeth. Their phonetics would also be restored to normal.
• Aesthetics: The implant resembles a natural tooth perfectly. Its color, contour, shape, and structure can be mimicked exactly with that of the natural teeth.
• Longevity: Implants last a long time. In most cases, they are known to have lasted for several years together without hassle.

Procedure

A thorough screening procedure is required before determine your candidacy for dental implants. Hence, your dentist in Santee will take x-rays and scans of the mouth to understand the structure and alignment of the teeth and jawbone. It would also help us get a better idea about the jawbone shape and determine whether it has deteriorated after the teeth extraction. The data from the scans and x-rays will serve as a reference for fabricating the prosthetic tooth in a dental laboratory.

During the dental implantation procedure, we will initially administer local anesthesia to numb the oral tissues, especially the jawbone. This prevents pain and discomfort during the surgery. A small hole will be made in the jawbone, and the metal implant will be inserted into it. It will be secured firmly using dental cement, and a suitable period of a few months ensures the jawbone grows around the grooves of the implant. After the bone has grown and the wound has healed, the dentist will schedule a second surgery to place the prosthetic crown.

The dental crown will be fixed to the metal implant using an abutment. This ensures the crown is fixed to the implant firmly and doesn’t slip off. A bite test will be used to analyze the patient’s bite, and any change, if required, will be made.

Please reach out to us to schedule a consultation with our dentist, and we’ll guide you further. Please call us at (619) 596-1128 or reach us through online consultation.