St. Augustine, FL
Dental implants are considered the top option available in tooth replacement. No other treatment method looks and functions more like a real tooth. The process generally requires multiple office visits scheduled over a span of a few months, to complete. A titanium post is surgically implanted into your jawbone at the site of your missing tooth, stimulating the jawbone like your tooth’s natural root once did. Once the area heals from that procedure, the implant is capped with a specially designed dental crown, sized, shaped and color-shaded to match your natural teeth.
Your St. Augustine dentist at Palencia Dental provides implants and other options to restore your smile. Despite all of those advantages of an implant, dental implants are not for everyone.
Palencia Dental identifies the key qualifiers to determine if you’re a good candidate for a dental implant.
- Be Above 18 Years of Age. Pediatric patients are not considered for dental implants. A child’s jawbone is still growing and developing. That process doesn’t complete until after adolescence. It’s very likely that an implant in a younger person’s jawbone would shift out of the desired position, as the jaw continues to develop. In turn, this could affect the positioning of the other teeth.
- Avoid Smoking. Smoking constricts blood vessels and generally impedes the body’s healing processes, increasing the likelihood of implant failure. That’s why we recommend that any patient considering dental implants stops smoking at least a couple of weeks before the procedure begins.
- Healthy Gums. The state of your overall oral health is always a huge consideration. A patient needs healthy jawbone levels for the installation of dental implants. As a general rule, we do not install implants if a patient currently suffers from gum disease. Your dentist at Palencia Dental offers a comprehensive program of periodontal treatment before patients with gum disease in St. Augustine and Palm Coast.
- Ample Jawbone. Sometimes, patients may not have sufficient jawbone to stabilize an implant. A bone graft, sinus lift, or ridge expansion are potential options to provide a stable foundation for the implant to be successful. These procedures often are performed by an oral surgeon before having your dental implant installed in the future.
Dental Implants in St. Augustine and Palm Coast, Florida
Advances in dental technology have enabled dental implants to be a viable solution to replace missing teeth. Regain the function and appearance of your teeth and restore that long lost, winning smile. Implant dentistry makes it possible.
Award-winning cosmetic dentist Dr. Stephanie Kinsey knows that a healthy smile is truly the foundation for your good overall health, which contributes to your happiness. Several factors determine the best solution for replacing missing teeth. If you’re interested in dental implants, the next step is a consultation to determine your viability as a candidate for the process. Schedule an appointment so that Dr. Kinsey can examine your teeth, your overall oral health, and recommend the best treatment option for you. Reach out to our office today at 904-664-5254
