The Gift of Confidence: Why Dental Implants are the Perfect Holiday Treat for Yourself

When tooth decay, gum disease, or dental trauma has led to the loss of one or more of your permanent teeth, it can impact your self-confidence, causing you to hide your smile whenever possible. 

Permanent tooth loss is actually a widespread issue, affecting over 178 million American adults. There are options for replacing your missing teeth and restoring your smile.

However, there is one option taking the world by storm due to its increased advantages over traditional choices, like dentures and bridges, and that’s dental implants. 

Nodesh Shyamsunder, BDS, Jasleen Raina, DDS, and our restorative dentistry team at Beaches Dentistry in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, believe that restoring your smile and boosting your self-confidence is the perfect gift to give yourself this holiday season.

So, we explain exactly how the dental implant process works in this month’s blog. 

What is a dental implant?

A dental implant consists of a titanium post, an abutment, and an artificial crown. We begin by placing the post in your jawbone before topping it with a color-matched crown that’s attached via the abutment. Over time, the post fuses with your jawbone to act as a new tooth root, meaning it's a permanent solution to tooth loss.

Dental implants are a good fit when you have lost one or more teeth and have sufficient jawbone to bond with the implants.

If your jawbone is thin or underdeveloped, dental implants are still a viable option for you. However, you may need to undergo procedures initially, such as a sinus lift or bone graft, to ensure the implants are successful. 

What do I need to do to prepare for dental implants?

The first step in the dental implant process is a consultation. Your provider sits down with you to discuss your goals before performing a thorough oral exam to assess the health of your teeth, gums, and jawbone. 

Once our team has all the necessary information, we create a customized treatment plan that considers your goals, the number of teeth you’re missing, any oral health issues, and the quality and quantity of your jawbone. You can also choose the implant option that works best, including All-on-4® implants, implant-supported bridges, and crowns. 

You may need to schedule appointments for dental or jawbone work before you can start the actual dental implant process.

What happens when getting dental implants?

Once our team has cleared your teeth, gums, and jawbone for implants, you can schedule your implant restoration appointment. 

Most of the time, you need two appointments for dental implants. One for placing the posts and then another to place the crowns after the posts have had time to fuse with your jaw. However, at Beaches Dentistry, we do everything in one appointment, making it a worthwhile investment of your time.

After the implants get placed and you’ve given them time to heal, the implants act like your regular teeth, which means you have chewing and speech function, and they blend in seamlessly with your existing teeth.

Since they function like natural teeth, you still need to be vigilant about cleaning and caring for them to ensure they last a lifetime. 

To schedule a consultation for dental implants, call our office or use our online booking feature today.