What is a dental implant?
Dental implants securely anchor a crown, bridge, or dentures when needed to replace one or more missing teeth. The implant consists of two pieces: a titanium rod that’s surgically placed in your jawbone, and an abutment, which is placed on top of the rod to hold your dental restoration.
What are the benefits of dental implants?
Dental implants are an exceptional way to replace missing teeth because they provide:
Long-lasting and secure tooth replacement
With a dental implant, full dental function is restored as you gain the same strength as your natural tooth’s root.
Preserve alignment of surrounding teeth
When you have missing teeth, the adjacent teeth move toward the empty space. This results in a bad bite, uneven wear, excessive pressure on your teeth, and tooth damage.
Maintain a strong jawbone
Like all the bones in your body, your jawbones continuously eliminate old bone and replace it with new bone. However, teeth and their roots trigger this ongoing bone remodeling. When you lose a tooth, your jawbone starts losing bone, gradually deteriorating and weakening. Dental implants take over the job of your original root, which means they maintain healthy bones.
How is an implant procedure performed?
Before scheduling implant surgery, Dr. Elias performs a thorough exam including cone beam computed tomography to evaluate your jaw and make sure your bone can support an implant. If your jawbone is too thin or weak, Dr. Elias may first perform a bone graft to strengthen the jaw.
Surgery to insert the implant consists of making a small incision to access the jawbone, then screwing in the implant rod. Over the next few months, bone regrows around the implant, firmly anchoring it in the bone. After healing is complete, Dr. Elias attaches the abutment and prosthesis.
Dr. Elias can insert one or more rods, depending on your dental needs. He specializes in complex implant surgery and advanced procedures such as All-on-4® implant reconstruction.
All-on-4 is a minimally invasive procedure that uses only four implants to permanently anchor a full-arch bridge, which replaces a full set of teeth on your upper and lower jaws. The All-on-4 procedure often eliminates the need for bone grafts by angling the implants.
When you need to replace missing teeth, call Southern California Center for Surgical Arts or book an appointment online.
