How Dental Implants Can Help Your Smile

Tooth loss changes how you look, eat and speak. Also, it affects your gum tissue and jaw bone. What could help your smile in the event of dental implantsdental extraction or trauma? Dental implants from Portage dentists, Dr. Keith Wester and Dr. Jennifer Sarantos preserve the jaw and look and function just like real teeth. Learn all about these modern tooth replacement marvels from the experts at Wester Dental Care.

The details on dental implants in Portage

Dental implants differ from conventional tooth replacements which simply rest on gum tissue and/or clamp to remaining natural teeth. Instead, implants lodge right in the jaw bone for superior stability. Additionally, dental implants actually improve jaw bone density. After surgical placement, the titanium implant cylinder and the patient's bone fuse together through a process known as osseointegration.

As the patient bites and chews on a finished implant, its strength increases. The same applies when dentists place multiple implants or mini-implants to secure multi-tooth bridgework or dentures.

The single implant procedure

To qualify for a dental implant, your dentist in Portage will do a complete oral examination, including digital X-ray imaging. Critical to oral implant success is sufficient jaw bone density and healthy gum tissue. If all is well, the dentist proceeds with an injection of local anesthesia and incision of the gums at the implant site.

Then, the doctor creates a small hole in the jaw bone and places the standard dental implant cylinder. A few sutures close the area, and the patient goes home for for a few weeks or months as the implant bonds with the jawbone. At the next visit to Wester Dental Care, the dentist permanently bonds a metal alloy post and porcelain crown in place.

Your new smile

You care for dental implants just as you do your natural teeth: floss daily to keep ahead of plaque and tartar, and brush every day with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Also, see Dr. Wester or Dr. Sarantos every six months for oral examinations and professional cleanings.

A word of caution: while dental implants do not get cavities, they can fail because of an infection called peri-implantitis. Peri-implantitis resembles advanced gum disease, and poor oral hygiene and smoking can cause it. So it's best to keep implant sites clean and to avoid tobacco.

Find out more

Dental implants from Wester Dental Care in Portage, MI could help your oral function, bone structure and personal appearance, too. Learn all about these amazing prosthetics in a personal implant consultation with one of our highly skilled dentists. Call today: (269) 327-1119.

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