Failing to replacing missing teeth can have a dramatic impact on your everyday life and your oral health. Most people with missing teeth may be too embarrassed to smile and they may suffer from a low self-confidence. Depending on where and how many teeth you are missing, the ability to chew certain foods like fruits and vegetables will be difficult. This can take a huge toll on your overall health and ability to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Your overall oral health will undoubtedly suffer. Missing teeth can cause you to lose more teeth. It can also cause your remaining teeth to shift due in to the empty space. This can lead to changes in your bite, a TMJ disorder, and gum disease. Bone loss is a huge concern with missing teeth. When your jaw bone lacks the tooth root, it will begin to deteriorate leading to bone loss. Bone loss in your jaw will change the appearance of your face causing you to look years older than you really are.
The good news is, with advances in technology, dental implants can solve all these issues. Wooddell & Passaro Dental Group near Annapolis, MD offer all types of dental implants to restore your smile and health. Dental implants are designed to be durable and very strong. They are a permanent dental restoration that can last a life time. Dr. Wooddell and Dr. Passaro offer teeth implants for patients missing one tooth, several teeth, or all of their teeth.
What Are Dental Implants?
Parts of a Dental Implant
The closest thing to a natural tooth is a dental implant. A tooth implant is made up of 3 main parts: the implant, the abutment, and the prosthesis. The implant is a titanium post that will be surgically implanted into the jaw bone. The purpose of the implant is to replace the tooth root and provide a stable foundation for the prosthesis. The abutment is screwed on to the implant and will hold a dental crown. If you are missing multiple teeth, you may have several implants placed that will collectively hold a dental bridge or a denture.
Dental Implant Procedure
Implants are a highly customized dental treatment for patients with damaged or missing teeth. The entire process, including the treatment planning phase, surgical implantation, and healing phase, will take months to complete. The actually time frame it will take to get dental implants varies greatly and is completely dependent on the patient. The first thing you will need to do is be evaluated at our Annapolis, MD area dentist office. We will perform a thorough evaluation of your gums, teeth, and overall oral health. A plan of action is created and tailored to your unique needs.
If additional procedures need to be done before you get dental implants, those will be done first. You may need teeth pulled, gum disease treatment, or bone grafting. These treatments are imperative to creating a stable foundation for the implants to heal properly and be successful.
The surgical phase is where the titanium post is implanted in to jaw bone. Once complete, there is a healing period of 3-6 months needed for all soft tissues to heal and the bone to begin to integrate with the new post. We will follow up with you to coordinate the next step and to monitor your progress.
Once you are completely healed, the abutment is attached next. Then we will take impressions of your mouth so that the customized dental prosthesis can be created. Once the tissue around the abutment is healed and your dental restoration is completed, you will return to our Annapolis, MD area dentist office where a dental crown, dental bridge, or denture is secured to the dental implant(s) for a permanent restoration.