Dental Implants

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are custom-crafted, artificial tooth roots made of titanium. Your Volterra Dental Comprehensive and Aesthetic Dentistry provider inserts them into your jaw during an outpatient procedure. Over time, the implants integrate with your natural bone, providing a base for crowns, bridges, or implant-retained dentures.

Dental implants are tougher and longer-lasting than dentures. With routine checkups and good oral hygiene, they may even last a lifetime. If you’re missing one or more permanent teeth, dental implants can transform your smile and reduce the risk of more serious oral health problems.

What are the benefits of dental implants?

Dental implants offer various benefits, including:

• Easier biting and chewing
• Clearer speech
• Convenience
• Durability
• Confidence

Dental implants also improve your oral health. By replacing teeth lost to trauma or extractions, you can reduce the risk of gum recession and bone loss.

What is the process for getting dental implants?

At Volterra Dental Comprehensive and Aesthetic Dentistry, getting dental implants takes three visits over several months.

First dental implants visit

If the team determines that you’re a candidate for dental implants, they numb your mouth with a local anesthetic and place a series of titanium posts into your jaw. The number of implants your provider places depends on several factors, including the number of teeth missing and the type of restoration you desire. 

After the placement procedure, your dentist prescribes pain medication and provides care instructions.

Second dental implants visit

Several months later when the implants finish integrating with your jaw, you return to Volterra Dental Comprehensive and Aesthetic Dentistry. Your provider takes impressions of your mouth and sends them to a laboratory that manufactures crowns, bridges, or a set of implant-retained dentures.

Third dental implants visit

When the lab finishes your custom restorations, you visit Volterra Dental Comprehensive & Aesthetic Dentistry for the last time. Your provider attaches your crowns, bridges, or implant-supported dentures to your dental implants, polishes them, and explains how to care for them.

How do I care for my dental implants?

Caring for your dental implants doesn’t require any special equipment. The team at Volterra Dental Comprehensive and Aesthetic Dentistry recommends brushing your teeth twice daily, flossing your teeth regularly, and visiting the office every six months for an oral exam and professional teeth cleaning.

To prevent damage to your implants, avoid bad habits like biting your fingernails, opening packaging with your teeth, and chewing on hard objects, like ice cubes or pen caps.

If you want to learn more about dental implants, make an appointment at Volterra Dental Comprehensive and Aesthetic Dentistry by calling the office or booking online today.