Are Dental Implants Right for You?
If you’re missing teeth, you understand how much even a single missing tooth can affect your speech, eating, appearance, and self-confidence. To restore your smile and quality of life, you want the most stable and natural dental restorations. Dental implants at our San Diego office may be the solution. Implants are permanent replacement teeth, which will be set directly into your jawbone. However,they are not right for everyone. Dr. Georgaklis, your La Jolla dental implants dentist, will examine your jaw and overall health to determine whether this treatment is the right solution for you.
What are Dental Implants?
If you select dental implants, your restorations will be comprised of three parts. The implants themselves are tiny titanium posts. Dr. Georgaklis will make a small incision in your gums, and he will precisely position the implants in your jawbone. As you recover the tissues will heal around the posts. Once your bone bonds to your implants they will be a lasting part of your oral structure. Following the healing, Dr. Georgaklis will attach small abutment post to your implant. These pieces will allow your custom-crafted restorations to attach to the implants.
Considerations for Candidacy
If you are missing one, several, or even all of your teeth, you may be an excellent candidate for dental implants. To restore a single tooth, Dr. Georgaklis will place one implant post. To place an implant-supported bridge, he will typically place two posts. An implant-supported denture will usually rest on four smaller implants.
To determine whether implants are right for you, Dr. Georgaklis will conduct a complete exam. First, he will take your medical and dental health history. Dental implant placement is an extremely low-risk procedure. However, it is a minor surgery. Therefore, if you have an autoimmune or blood disorder that might make healing difficult, you may benefit from another type of restoration, such as a bridge or denture.
Second, Dr. Georgaklis will use panorex x-rays and/or a CT scan to examine the structure of your jawbone. To receive implants, it is important that you have a healthy jaw. Following tooth loss, you may have suffered some bone degeneration, and this could affect your candidacy for La Jolla dental implants. Without a firm foundation, you may experience implant failure. Nevertheless, Dr. Georgaklis wants to make implants available to as many patients as possible. With our advanced imaging technology, he can often position the posts in a way that will take full advantage of your remaining bone structure. After determining your candidacy for dental implants in San Diego, Dr. Georgaklis will plan out a treatment that will meet your unique restorative needs. Thanks to his careful exams and treatment planning, our implants have a very high rate of success.
Learn More about Dental Implants in San Diego
If you are searching for the most lifelike method of tooth replacement, contact your La Jolla dental implant dentist today. Dr. George Georgaklis, DDS will examine your oral health and determine the best way to restore your beautiful smile.
