Implants

Dental Implants in Huntington Beach, CA

If you're living with an incomplete smile, you might take comfort in knowing that you are not alone. The majority of adults have lost one or more teeth. However, simply knowing you aren't the only one missing teeth won't do anything to restore your smile, but dental implants can.

What Is a Dental Implant?

A dental implant is a prosthetic dental treatment that is designed to replace teeth and restore a person's smile. Dental implants replace missing teeth with three basic components:

• Implant Anchor - Made of biocompatible metal, the anchor of a dental implant is shaped similarly to a screw. The anchor is implanted directly in the patient's jawbone where it osseointegrates during the healing process to create a secure bond. As a result, the implant anchor mimics a natural tooth's root system.
• Implant Abutment - The implant abutment is also made of biocompatible metal. The abutment connects to the anchor and joins it to a dental restoration.
• Dental Restoration - Fitted over the implant abutment, the dental restoration is the only visible portion of a dental implant. Usually made of tooth-colored porcelain or porcelain fused to metal, a dental restoration is designed to look and work like a natural tooth or teeth.

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A Versatile Solution to Smile Restoration: Dental Implant Treatment Options

Dental implants offer a variety of treatment solutions to patients with various restorative needs. They can help to restore the smiles of patients who are missing one, several, or all of their teeth with the following treatment options:

-Implant-Supported Dental Crown

Dental implants can replace teeth on a one-for-one basis with one dental implant per missing tooth when used to support dental crowns.

-Implant-Supported Dental Bridge

One or two strategically placed dental implants can be used to support a dental bridge to replace multiple, consecutive missing teeth at once.

-Implant-Supported Dentures

For patients who are missing all or most of their teeth, dental implants can support full or partial dentures. Two treatment options exist for implant-supported dentures including:

• All-on-X - This treatment option uses four, six, or eight dental implants to support a permanently fixed denture.
• Overdentures - Also called snap-on, this treatment option uses dental implants to support a denture that can be more easily removed.

Why Restore Your Smile with Dental Implants?

Smile restoration with dental implants offers patients several benefits and advantages over alternative treatment options, such as:

• Long-Lasting Tooth Replacement - Dental implants are made of highly durable materials and are designed to last a lifetime.
• Easy Care - Dental implants are the easiest dental restoration to care for. Their maintenance and oral hygiene do not require any special tools or products. Patients can continue brushing and flossing as recommended. For patients who want to go the extra mile to safeguard their dental restorations, we might recommend the use of a water flosser to clean around dental implants so that gum tissue remains optimally healthy.
• Supports Oral Health - Implanted directly in the jawbone, dental implants provide the same kind of bone-generating stimulation as natural tooth roots. As a result, jawbone degeneration is prevented. This helps to safeguard remaining natural teeth while also preserving a patient's physical features and bone structure.
• Looks, Feels, and Works Naturally - Implant-supported dental restorations are custom-designed to look, feel, and work just like your natural teeth.
• No Sores - Dental implants cause no sore the way that dentures sometimes can.
• No Adhesives - They do not require the use of sticky dental adhesives.
• No Worries - Implant-supported restorations never slip or move around inside the mouth.

Are Dental Implants Right for You? Smile Restoration Consultations in Huntington Beach, CA

If you are missing one or more teeth, then you understand the discomfort an incomplete smile can cause. It can hinder your ability to enjoy your favorite foods, change your appearance, impact your speech, and reduce your overall quality of life. For these reasons, our dentist at Dental Oasis of Orange County is pleased to provide our patients with the gold standard of restorative dental care treatments, dental implants.

We welcome you to request a smile restoration consultation with our dentist so that we can talk with you about your concerns and treatment goals to help you determine the best restorative treatment plan to meet your needs. To learn more about dental implants or to request an appointment, please contact our dental office in Huntington Beach today.

FAQs

• Why Implant over Bridge?
  • An implant is the ideal choice for replacing a missing tooth because it is a naturally conservative approach. Unlike dental bridges, an implant does not require shaving down the adjacent teeth next to the missing tooth in order to support a restoration.
  • Like your natural tooth, the oral hygiene and processes are all the same. You brush the area like your natural tooth, and floss like your natural tooth. The most difficult part of a dental bridge is having to clean underneath the bridge – a difficult task that can easily be remedied with a single implant.
• What if I don’t have enough bone for an implant?
  • Guided Bone Regeneration – this process of restoring the height and thickness of the edentulous space in order to create a more ideal site for the implant screw and restorative for the crown.
  • Sinus Augmentation – also known as a sinus lift, this process involves raising the floor of the sinus and grafting the site with bone in order to increase the height and supportive retention of the implant screw. This procedure is typically necessary in order to resolve pneumatization or the dropping of the sinus floor over time.
  • Ridge Split – sometimes a tooth has been missing for so long that the bone has started to resorb or shrink, resulting in a knife’s edge appearance of the ridge. This can be remedied by doing what is a called a ridge split which separate the ridge of bone allowing for a wider implant. This site is additionally grafted with more bone to ensure proper healing.
• How long does it take to get an implant?
  • The length of your specific procedure may vary depending on Immediate vs 2^nd Phase Treatment Options
  • Given adequate working conditions and great bone levels, sometimes an immediate implant can be placed following an extraction of a broken tooth. Please call Dr. Vuong and schedule an appointment for proper evaluation using X-rays and CT scan to find out if you are a good candidate for an immediate implant.
  • Timeline for the traditional process can take up to one year following an extraction. Bone takes about 3-6 months of healing time, so for each part – extraction requires 3-6mo of healing, and initial implant placement will also require an additional 3-6mo of healing time. The process of osseointegration is very important in determining the health and longevity of an implant.