Dental Implants
Tooth loss can happen at any age and for reasons spanning injury, decay, and damage. But that does not have to mean the end to a full, confident smile. Dental implants provide you with a solution to rebuild your smile with a long-lasting solution that looks natural and comes with a range of additional benefits.
By working with a skilled dentist in Upland, you can count on expert dental implant placement that will leave you smiling. Each procedure is built with your individual situation in mind, ensuring a final result that blends in with your natural teeth.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are prosthetics that serve as replacements for missing teeth. Each implant is comprised of three parts: the titanium post, the abutment, and the dental crown. Together, these work like the root and crown of a natural tooth, filling in any gap in your smile.
Each one is placed individually into the gum, where it fuses with the jawbone to form a sturdy anchor. This is part of what makes them so durable, with many patients getting a lifetime of benefits from their new teeth. We custom-make our patient’s implants through a high-grade manufacturing laboratory, ensuring a final look that becomes a seamless part of your smile.
In cases of more significant tooth loss, dental implants can serve as anchors for specialized dentures. Called All-on-4 dentures, this unique prosthetic uses the implants as anchors for enhanced stability over traditional options.
Breaking Down the Process
- Consultation: We ensure each patient is matched with the best option for their needs, which makes the consultation essential. We discuss your goals, examine your dental situation, and build a treatment plan alongside each patient.
- Preparing the Area: This can involve removing a severely damaged tooth or placing a bone graft. A bone graft is only needed if the jawbone has deteriorated enough so it could not support the implant post.
- Placing the Post: This is the surgical step in which we insert the post into the gum. Working with an experienced provider is key because even minimal error in placement can impact your final result.
- Taking Impressions: Taking impressions allows us to create a 3D model of your mouth so that the lab can make a custom crown that matches your teeth’s unique shape and appearance.
- Placing the Implant: Once your gum has healed and the post has begun fusing to the jawbone, we place the crown (the tooth part) on the abutment. That’s it and then your smile is complete once again!
Advantages & Benefits​
Working with a skilled implants specialist is the surest way to have the greatest amount of benefit from your dental implants. Precise placement and quality materials are key to having a natural result that lasts for decades.
- Long-Lasting Solution: For most patients, it can be a permanent replacement for a missing tooth. Other options may wear down after several years, but dental implants can last for 20–30 years or beyond.
- Minimal Limitations: While we still recommend avoiding excessively hard foods (as we would for natural teeth), it places little restriction on your diet. Continue to enjoy all the same foods you have always consumed.
- Natural Appearance: No one will suspect that you have an artificial tooth. Our 3D-scanned impressions ensure we can make a crown that is customized to look like it was always a part of your smile.
- Improve Oral Health: Prolonged tooth loss can lead to new oral health problems, such as changes to your jaw shape or loss of bone mass. Implants can put a stop to this process.
Caring for Your Implants
Dental implants are designed to last for decades, but they also require proper dental care and cleaning to stay in good shape. Patients should brush and clean just as they would with any other teeth at least twice every day. It is important to maintain good dental hygiene habits, but we also recommend visiting us twice a year for routine exams to ensure that there are no other dental health concerns requiring treatment.
A full, restored smile awaits you at Smile Studio with dental implants near me in Upland. Contact us to sign up for your appointment today and take the first step to improving your oral health and seeing a radiant smile once again.
Our office is conveniently and centrally located near Mountain Plaza, at the intersection of N Mountain Ave and W 9th St.
Dental Implants FAQs
Are Dental Implants Right for Me?
This procedure is highly sought after, but it is vital to ensure it is ideal for you. They are best for patients who:
- Want a permanent solution
- Are willing to take the time for the process
- Have sufficient bone mass in their jaw
- Need to replace only a single tooth (or a couple)
Will Dental Implants Be Permanent?
The durability of dental implants is perhaps their most significant appeal. While some wear can occur, most patients can expect their them to last a couple of decades. If the crown is damaged or worn, it can be replaced without starting the entire process over again.
How Do I Maintain My Dental Implants?
Taking care of your new tooth is as easy as caring for your natural ones. A healthy diet, healthy at-home oral hygiene, and routine dental visits are essential to promoting better results. The better the combination of these three, the longer your new tooth will last. Avoid acidic foods or too much sugar, and brush and floss regularly.
How Many Dental Implants Can I Get?
Theoretically, you could replace every tooth with an implant. However, this is not ideal. Patients usually can replace a smaller number of teeth (between 1 and 4) for best results. If you have a higher number of missing teeth, we can discuss your options during your consultation. For bigger gaps in your smile, it may be better to have dental bridges or dentures (which can be supported with implants).