Dental Implants in Whittier
Restore your smile with confidence with dental implants at Perfect Smile Dental Group in Whittier.
What are Benefits of a Dental Implants?
- Restore your smile & improve quality of life.
- Prevent facial sagging due to tooth loss.
- Boost your self-esteem and confidence.
- Act, behave and look like natural teeth.
- Restore your ability to chew and ability to speak.
- Prevent jawbone from shrinking due to bone loss.
- Preserve health of nearby teeth, bone and gums.
What is a Dental Implant?
Dental implants are titanium screws anchored in the jawbone to replace a single missing or multiple missing teeth. They are the gold standard of restorative treatments for replacing a single missing tooth or multiple missing teeth. The Advantage of implants is that no neighboring teeth need to be shaved down to restore the missing tooth. They look, feel and act like your natural teeth, thus they allow you to eat, speak and smile with comfort and confidence. Like your natural teeth, they also allow you to have the same bite force to be able to enjoy a nice steak. Unlike dentures, you do not have to take them out for cleaning after a meal or at bedtime.
Are You a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?
The best candidates for implants are adults ages of 25-65 with healthy gums and jawbone. Even if you have lost bone in your jaw, you may still be a good candidate for implants. Patients diagnosed with diabetes or gum diseases may be candidates for dental implants, but it will depend on the severity of the diabetes and gums diseases.
Patients under the age of 25 are not good candidates because the development of the jawbone is not complete. Placing implants in young adults that have not completely developed may alter the development of the patients.
Cancer patients that have taken medication that may cause osteonecrosis of the jaw are not good candidates due to high risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw.
Advantages of Dental Implants?
Implants replace a single or multiple missing teeth without affecting adjacent teeth. They act, feel and behave like your natural teeth, so you brush and floss them like your natural teeth. Dental implants are permanently fixed in the jawbone, so they will never pop out like dentures when you speak or eat.
Disadvantages of Dental Implants?
Implants require oral surgery to place the dental implants. Implants require healing time of 3-5 months for the jawbone & dental implant to integrate before a crown can be made for the dental implant. Implants are more expensive than dental bridges.
3 Types of Dental Implant Treatment
- Implant-supported Crown – Single implant can replace a single missing tooth.
- Implant-supported Bridge – 2 or more implants replace multiple missing teeth.
- Overdentures – 2 or more Implants can anchor complete dentures for more retention and prevent slipping.
Implant-supported Crown – Single implant can replace a single missing tooth.
Implant-supported Bridge – 2 or more implants replace multiple missing teeth.
Overdentures – 2 or more Implants can anchor complete dentures for more retention and prevent slipping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is a good candidate for dental implants?
A good candidate for dental implants is an adult ages of 25-65 with healthy gums and jawbone. Even if you have lost bone in your jaw, you may still be a good candidate for implants.
How much do implants cost?
Total cost for a single implant, abutment & implant crown is about $3500-5000. Other costs to consider include tooth extraction and bone graft, which are not included in the total cost of the single implant, abutment & implant crown.
Does it hurt to get a dental implant?
Advancement in dentistry has made getting dental implants a pain-free process. Local anesthetics are used to ensure patient comfort and a painless dental experience. Patients can experience some soreness and tenderness in the implant site afterwards that can be remedied with over-the-counter pain medications.
How Successful Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants have a success rate of up to 98%.
How long do dental implants actually last?
Dental implants can last for 25 years. With good oral hygiene, they can last a lifetime.
How soon after tooth extraction can you have an implant?
How soon after tooth extraction can you have an implant placed depends on whether there were enough bone and if there were an active infection. If there were no active infection and there were enough bone to support the implant, the implant placement can happen the same day as the extraction. In most cases, the extraction area & bone graft must heal for three to six months before the next step. This time allows the area to heal to ensure this does not cause any complications. If implant placement is delayed for three to six months, a temporary solution to replace your missing tooth or teeth would be a removable partial denture (flipper), until the area is ready for implant placement.
What happens if you have a tooth pulled and don't replace it?
If you have a tooth pulled and don’t replace it, the bone surrounding the extracted tooth will resorb and cause the nearby teeth to shift and lean into the empty space. The opposing tooth will super-erupt (grow longer) into the empty space and hit the other teeth at an odd angle that may cause them to fracture. Bone graft is necessary after a tooth extraction to preserve the bone level at the extraction site. Missing tooth should be replaced with a dental implant or a Bridge to prevent teeth from shifting or super-erupting.
What happens if you don't get an implant after tooth extraction?
If you have a tooth pulled and don’t replace it, the bone surrounding the extracted tooth will resorb and cause the nearby teeth to shift and lean into the empty space. The opposing tooth will super-erupt (grow longer) into the empty space and hit the other teeth at an odd angle that may cause them to fracture. Bone graft is necessary after a tooth extraction to preserve the bone level at the extraction site. Missing tooth should be replaced with a dental implant or a Bridge to prevent teeth from shifting or super-erupting.
How can I cover my missing teeth while waiting for the implant?
While waiting for the implant, patient can use an interim denture (flipper).
What happens if I get a bone graft but not an implant?
Missing tooth should be replaced with a dental implant or a Bridge to prevent teeth from shifting or super-erupting.