Dental Implants Specialist

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are small, titanium screws that are surgically implanted into your jawbone and mimic the root structure of your natural teeth. As your mouth heals from the procedure, the dental implants fuse to your jawbone through a process called osseointegration. This makes them an incredibly sturdy foundation on top of which the Lake Forest Dental Center team can affix a crown, bridge, or denture.

Once they’ve settled, dental implants feel just like your natural teeth, and don’t require any sort of special care or treatments to keep clean.

Why do I need to replace a missing tooth?

Missing teeth are more than just a cosmetic concern. Holes in your smile can actually lead to a number of dental conditions, such as:

Bone loss

Your jawbone needs stimulation in order to preserve its form and density. When you’re missing a tooth, the area of your jaw where the tooth once was starts to degrade as bone mass is lost.

Shifting teeth

A missing tooth leaves open a space in your smile that your other teeth will begin to shift into. This can cause changes in your bite, which can lead to jaw issues like temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ).

Changing facial appearance

Without the support provided by a tooth, the facial muscles around a missing tooth will begin to collapse and sink into the area of the hole.

Why should I get dental implants?

By functioning just like your natural tooth roots, dental implants provide a safe and effective solution to all of the issues caused by a missing tooth. They also:

• Improve your appearance
• Make it easier to eat and speak properly
• Are durable, long-lasting, and feel just like your natural teeth
• Are convenient and require no special maintenance 

Dental implants also offer a particular advantage over a bridge restoration because implants don’t require you to reduce the enamel of your surrounding teeth, allowing you to keep more of your natural smile intact.

How do I get dental implants?

Dental implants typically require two trips to the Lake Forest Dental Center offices. During your first visit, your dentist numbs you with a local anesthetic before making a small, surgical incision into your gums. They then place the implant in your bone socket, stitch you up, and place a healing cap over the surgery site. 

The implant typically takes 3-9 months to fuse with your jawbone, after which time you’ll come back for a second visit. Your dentist examines your mouth to make sure that the implant has fused properly, and then affixes a crown, bridge, or dentures to the abutment. You’ll leave the office able to speak, chew, and smile as if you were never missing a tooth in the first place.

To learn more about how dental implants can get your smile in better shape, schedule an appointment today with the dental professionals at Lake Forest Dental Center. You can call the offices or book online.