Dental Implants
Dental implants are a highly regarded tooth replacement and are considered the gold standard for tooth replacement. Durable, lifelike, and long-lasting, a dental implant replaces an entire missing tooth—from root to crown—and delivers unparalleled form and function.
At Rancho Peñasquitos Dental Center in San Diego, Dr. Pavneet Sondhi and her experienced team take great pride in helping patients with tooth loss reclaim their comfort and oral health with dental implants.
Dental Implants: A Healthy Tooth Replacement
Shortly after tooth loss, neighboring teeth shift and tilt to fill the space. At the same time, the jawbone loses density and volume, which also decreases stability for the remaining teeth. Placing a biocompatible titanium implant post in the jaw stimulates the bone to regenerate and helps prevent further tissue loss.
A dental implant is a titanium post that acts as a replacement for the lost tooth root. We use implants to replace a single missing tooth, several missing teeth, or support a full denture to replace an entire arch of teeth.
Dental implants placed by Dr. Sondhi at our San Diego dental office not only give you a more stable tooth replacement but also blend naturally with your smile.
The Process for Getting a Dental Implant
Dr. Sondhi is an experienced dental implant dentist in San Diego who performs implant placement and restoration for patients who want a stable, comfortable tooth replacement. After she places the implant in your jaw, a healing period of several months follows, which allows surrounding bone and tissue to fuse securely with the implant. We refer to this process as osseointegration.
When the healing process is complete, Dr. Sondhi attaches to the implant a connector piece called an abutment that she uses to affix a custom dental restoration to the implant post. The newly-established dental implant functions in exactly the same way the natural tooth root did and provides a solid and secure base to support a dental crown, bridge, or denture.
What Are the Benefits of Dental Implants?
The most obvious benefit of dental implants is that they fill the gaps in your teeth and allow you to smile confidently again. However, implants offer also other several other benefits that every patient can appreciate.
Restores Chewing Function
Patients with missing teeth know how difficult and even painful it can be to find a comfortable way to chew all the foods they love. With secure and stable dental implants, you can go back to enjoying a crispy apple or a steak dinner with friends.
If you choose implant-supported dentures, you don’t have to worry about the typical problems associated with removable dentures. You can go ahead and eat, speak, and laugh comfortably, knowing that your dentures won’t move or shift out of place.
Maintains a Healthy Jawbone
Tooth roots do more than hold your teeth in place; they stimulate your jawbone to keep regenerating so it stays strong and healthy. When the tooth root is lost, the bone starts to shrink, surrounding teeth lose their support, and additional tooth loss is a possibility.
Since a dental implant replaces the missing tooth root, it continues to stimulate the jawbone to keep it strong and healthy.
Contributes to a More Youthful Appearance
If you look at someone who has no teeth, you can see how the loss of support affects their facial features. Lips cave in, the cheeks sink, and at the same time, jawbone loss contributes to an aged and sunken-in facial appearance.
With a strong and healthy jawbone and an implant crown or denture in place, your face has a fuller, more youthful appearance.
Acts as Long-Term Tooth Replacement
While a bridge or denture seems like an appealing alternative because of their cost, we need to replace them periodically, increasing the cost over your lifetime.
Because a dental implant eventually becomes a permanent part of your dental anatomy, it can last for decades or even a lifetime with proper care.
Schedule a Dental Implant Consultation Appointment
If you would like to know more about dental implants and live in San Diego, Poway, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, or surrounding areas, we would love to help you! Please call us to schedule an appointment to get started.
