Dental Implants

A missing tooth affects how you look, eat, and speak and puts you at risk of losing more teeth. Dental implants are nearly identical to your real teeth and make the best treatment option for missing teeth. The highly skilled team at Lifetime Dental Care, PLLC, offers dental implants to improve the health of your teeth and the look of your smile. To find out if dental implants are a good option for you, call the office in Woodbridge, Virginia, or schedule an appointment online today.

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are artificial tooth roots. Your dental specialist at Lifetime Dental Care, PLLC, places the surgical-grade root device into the jawbone under your gum, where it fuses with the bone over time.

Dental implants serve as a permanent anchor for a prosthetic tooth or crown. 

The team at Lifetime Dental Care, PLLC, prefers dental implants for replacing missing teeth because they provide the same function, look like your natural teeth, and help prevent jawbone loss. 

The team can use dental implants to replace a single missing or damaged tooth or restore your entire smile.

Am I a candidate for dental implants?

After consulting with the oral care provider, the team at Lifetime Dental Care, PLLC, determines if you’re a candidate for dental implants. They may consider you a candidate for dental implants if you have missing, broken, or severely decayed teeth and have relatively good overall oral health.

You need healthy gums and adequate bone support for dental implants. 

If you have gum disease or jawbone loss, the team talks to you about the treatments you might need to improve oral health for a dental implant, such as gum treatment for gum disease or placement of a jawbone graft.

What can I expect if I decide to go ahead with dental implants?

Your dentist at Lifetime Dental Care, PLLC, reviews the details of your dental implant treatment plan so you know what to expect. The placement of dental implants is a multistep process that takes six to nine months. 

The dental implant process starts with the placement of the artificial tooth root. Your dentist places the titanium rod into the jaw and sutures the gum to cover the implant. The procedure takes one to two hours.

What can I expect during recovery from the placement of dental implants?

You can expect some bruising and discomfort after you receive your dental implant. The team provides pain medication to reduce discomfort and request that you follow a soft diet for two weeks following surgery so the site can heal.

After the healing and fusing process, which takes several months, your dentist attaches the permanent dental crown to your dental implant. 

The team schedules regular teeth cleanings and dental checkups to monitor your implants and overall oral health. Dental implants are permanent, often lasting a lifetime with good oral hygiene.

To schedule your dental implant consultation, call Lifetime Dental Care, PLLC, or book an appointment online today.