Dental implants are prosthetics used to replace the missing roots of teeth. Made from titanium, a dental implant essentially resembles a very small screw with an abutment on one end. It is placed into the jawbone where a missing tooth once was. A dental crown or bridge will then be attached to the abutment to complete the restoration of a lost tooth. If a person requires total tooth replacement, multiple implants can be used to support a full denture.

Implants offer advantages that prosthetics like bridges or dentures cannot. First, a bridge or denture rests on top of the gums, only replacing the surfaces of teeth above the gum line. An implant, however, draws on support from the bone just like a tooth’s root to hold prosthetics. By addressing the loss of the entire tooth or teeth, a person can enjoy more stable oral function and longer lasting replacement teeth. Dental implants also keep bone in the jaw active through stimulation that can prevent bone resorption, a common side effect of tooth loss.

All-on-4, also known as “teeth in a day”, involves comprehensive tooth replacement for edentulous patients. This procedure consists of anchoring custom dentures to a series of four strategically placed dental implants in the jaw. Anchoring an arch of prosthetic teeth to dental implants helps stabilize the biting surfaces of prosthetics and promote a more natural looking appearance.

If you have suffered from tooth loss, call Parker-Nickolas-Read Dental today to schedule a consultation with our compassionate and experienced dentists.