When you lose a permanent tooth, it can be devastating. It affects your self-esteem, your ability to eat properly, and makes you less willing to talk or smile around your friends.

Bridges and dentures used to be the only options to restore your smile after a lost tooth, but advances in dental technology have given our Herndon dental office a superior option to offer our patients – surgical dental implants! 

What Is a Dental Implant?

Dental implants are a strong, reliable, permanent restoration for missing teeth. The dental implant consists of three parts: a metal implant made of bio-compatible titanium that is placed in your jawbone; a post, or abutment, that fits securely into the implant and allows us to attach a restoration; and the restoration itself, usually a crown or bridge.

Implants are the best long-term solution for restoration of missing teeth. The implant actually fuses to the bone as it heals, strengthening the implant and the surrounding bone. The attached crown or bridge gives you a beautiful and natural-looking restoration that blends seamlessly with your teeth to restore your smile.

Why Should I Get a Dental Implant?

Dental implants can improve your oral health in a number of ways. Leaving an extraction site un-restored allows your other teeth room to shift out of their proper alignment. This can cause bite problems, loosening of other teeth leading to additional tooth loss, and loss of bone mass over time. With an implant-supported crown, your teeth will stay properly aligned, preventing many problems that can develop over time.

Implants restore your ability to eat properly. Losing a tooth can reduce your ability to bite or chew normally. Most patients will adapt to a different bite alignment or chewing alignment over time because of this, which can put added pressure on the remaining teeth and damage or crack them. Implants prevent this issue and give you a sturdy, reliable restoration.

Gaps in your smile can lower your self-confidence and make you reluctant to talk, eat, or laugh around other people. This in turn affects your self-esteem and is generally bad for your mental and emotional well-being. With a beautiful implant restoration, you'll be proud to show off your smile to the world once again.

The Dental Implant Process

If Herndon dentist Dr. Ahmad determines you are a good candidate for dental implants, we will refer you to an oral surgeon for the implant placement. The implant must be placed into your jawbone and allowed to heal completely for osseointegration to occur. If you have lost some bone mass and there is not enough jawbone to support the implant, bone grafts can be done to increase the mass.

After the implant is completely healed, Dr. Ahmad will create a customized crown for you that matches your natural teeth perfectly. The crown is attached to the abutment, which locks securely into your implant. If you are missing multiple teeth, a bridge can be created with multiple implant supports. These restorations are secured to your implants and then function just like your real teeth, requiring no special care.

Restore Your Smile With a Beautiful Dental Implant

If you are interested in beginning the implant process to restore your missing teeth, contact us today to schedule a consultation.