Stafford, VA Dental Implants
Dental implants are a permanent and appealing solution to replace missing or extracted teeth. They are better than other alternatives like bridges because no additional teeth need to be altered to place the new tooth. Benefits of Dental Implants by Elizabeth M. Attreed, DDS include:
#1- Beautify Your Smile
Missing teeth can ruin a beautiful smile. Dental implants can fill in your smile's gaps and improve your appearance. Dental implants are the next best thing to natural teeth. With dental implants, you will look and feel younger and more attractive.
#2- Improve Oral Function
Dental implants fit, feel, and act like natural teeth. Missing teeth can make it difficult for people to pronounce certain words. Dental implants can improve your clarity of speech. Tooth loss can also make it difficult for people to chew food. With dental implants, you will experience a dramatic improvement in chewing ability.
#3- Stop Jawbone Loss
The most common cause of jawbone loss is a missing tooth left unreplaced. Dental implants help to prevent bone loss and stimulate bone growth. Dental implants distribute chewing forces throughout the bone and minimize the wearing away of the bone.
#4- Prevent Teeth Shifting
Although your teeth feel as if they are set in the jawbone, they are capable of drifting out of place. When people lose a tooth, the surrounding teeth begin to shift out of place. Dental implants can prevent your existing teeth from moving out of place.
#5- Increase Your Self-Esteem
Losing a tooth can be a traumatic experience for many people. Tooth loss can lead to low self-esteem which can affect the quality of a people's lives in many different ways. Dental implants can restore your smile and help you feel better about yourself.
Dental Implants Procedure
The entire implant process is performed over the course of a few months. The first part of the process is to install the implant itself, where a screw is placed into the jaw bone. An incision is made in the gum so that the implant can be inserted. Multiple implants can be placed at once if necessary.
After the implants are placed the gums are sutured. The implant must be allowed about 3-6 months to heal, and during this time the jaw bone will form around the implant in a process called osseointegration. During this healing time you can have temporary crowns installed so that you can eat and speak normally and maintain a proper aesthetic appearance for your smile.
After the implant has healed it is time to place an abutment on the implant. The abutment serves as the base for your new tooth. Once this is placed, an impression of the abutment is taken and is used to create your permanent restoration. Some offices have an onsite lab to create the crown, but others will have to send it to an outside lab.
Once the restoration is completed you can return to the office to attach the restoration permanently. Your smile will look just like it used to, and after a short period of getting used to the implant it will feel just like one of your own teeth.
Ready for a new smile? Don't wait another minute! Call Elizabeth M. Attreed, DDS at (540) 659-5161 to schedule a consultation in Stafford, VA. Dental implants will make your dream of a gorgeous smile a reality.
