Dental Implants Specialist

Dental Implants Q & A

 

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are screw-like posts placed into your gums during an outpatient procedure. Following placement, the implants integrate with your natural bone, providing a foundation for restorations like crowns, bridges, or implant-retained dentures. 

Dental implants are a sturdy alternative to traditional dentures. With routine checkups and optimal oral hygiene, they can last a lifetime.

What are the benefits of dental implants?

Dental implants offer various benefits, including:

• Improved oral health

• Easier biting and chewing

• Clearer speech

• Confidence

• Durability

 

Dental implants can even reduce your risk of potentially serious oral health issues. By replacing missing or extracted teeth, you can prevent your remaining healthy teeth from moving out of position.

What does getting dental implants involve?

At Novato Family Dental Care, getting dental implants takes at least two visits.

First dental implants visit

Before placing dental implants, your Novato Family Dental Care provider conducts an oral exam to ensure your jaw and gums are healthy. If there are no cavities or gum disease present, your provider numbs your mouth and places a series of implants in your jaw.

The number of implants you get depends on various factors, including how many teeth you’re missing and the type of restoration you desire. After the placement procedure, your provider sends you home with recovery instructions.

Second dental implants visit

Several months later, when the implants finish integrating with your jaw, you return to Novato Family Dental Care. If you’re getting crowns, your provider takes impressions of your mouth and uses the on-site CEREC milling machine to manufacture them. When the machine finishes, your dentist bonds your new crowns in place.

If you decide to get a fixed bridge or implant-retained dentures, your dentist takes scans of your mouth and sends the scans to a dental laboratory. The lab uses your scans to design and manufacture custom restorations that fit your implants perfectly.

Third dental implants visit

When the laboratory finishes your bridge or implant-retained dentures, you visit Novato Family Dental Care for the last time. Your dentist attaches the restoration to your implants and provides care instructions. 

How do I care for dental implants?

You care for dental implants like they’re your natural teeth. The team at Novato Family Dental Care recommends brushing your teeth twice daily, flossing regularly, and visiting the office every six months for a professional teeth cleaning and an oral exam.

To explore the benefits of dental implants, make an appointment at Novato Family Dental Care by calling the office or using the online booking feature today.

*Individual results may vary.