Dental Implants Pacifica CA
When you lose a tooth, it not only impacts your ability to chew and eat with ease, but it also affects the way you talk, smile, and ultimately how you connect with other people. If you 
don’t feel confident about your smile, you may hide it and miss out on interacting with others.
Besides impacting your confidence, a missing tooth also affects your dental health. Without a tooth root to support it, your jawbone starts to deteriorate. Bone loss changes the shape and appearance of your face and impacts support for neighboring teeth.
Your healthy teeth may also begin to drift and shift, moving into the open space and causing bite misalignment. When your bite is misaligned, it can result in painful jaw joint problems like popping, clicking, teeth grinding, headaches, and even neck and shoulder pain.
It’s a good idea to think about replacing a lost tooth as soon as possible so you can protect your dental health and your smile.
The Anatomy of a Dental Implant
A dental implant has three important parts that work together to replace your tooth with a restoration that closely mimics your natural tooth. These are:
- The titanium implant. This is the piece that our dentists will carefully place into your jawbone during a simple surgical procedure. Titanium is biocompatible and naturally integrates over time with your bone, becoming part of your dental anatomy just like your root.
- The abutment. This piece attaches to both the implant and the crown and holds them securely together.
- The porcelain crown. This is the part of the implant you see that is designed to match your tooth and blend with your smile. The porcelain crown is also durable, so you get all the functions of eating and chewing you had before your tooth loss.
Who Is a Candidate for Dental Implants in Pacifica?
Tooth implants require two essential things to be successful:
- The patient is in good general health
- There is enough healthy bone to support the implant
Our dentists use 3-D imaging to evaluate your bone and plan your implant placement surgery. If you lack enough bone structure to support an implant, Dr. Jen Kin may recommend bone grafting surgery for you.
What Is Bone Grafting?
Patients who suffer from bone loss, often due to gum disease, may need a bone grafting procedure to rebuild their bone so it can successfully support a dental implant.
Dr. Jen Kin performs bone grafting procedures here in our Pacifica dental office. During the procedure, he takes bone material from another source and adds it to your jawbone, where it will integrate and fuse over time. After a healing period of three to six months, your bone accepts the new material, integrates with it, and is now ready to support a tooth implant.
Learn More About Dental Implants in Pacifica Today
Our dentists’ skills and expertise make dental implants a possibility for almost everybody! So if you or a loved one is suffering from tooth loss, don’t wait to learn more about how we can help you reclaim your smile and your dental health at Cabrillo Family Dental Care.
