One common dental issue that dentists see very often is a missing tooth caused by tooth decay, dental trauma or infection. This is not a problem that many people want to live with for very long. Missing teeth can complicate your daily routine. People who require a lot of face-to-face interactions need to feel confident about their smiles when communicating with others.
Dr. Edmund Jay, prosthodontic dentist in San Diego, sees plenty of patients every year who desperately want to replace their missing teeth and renew their beautiful smiles. His solution is very simple—dental implants.
A dental implant is a reconstruction of an original natural tooth from root to tip. When in place, no one (besides a dentist and his X-Ray machine) would ever know that it's not the tooth the patient was born with. If viewed from the side in an X-ray, the implant looks a bit like a light bulb, with a screw at the bottom and the tooth (“bulb”) affixed to the top. The bone tissue attaches itself to the metal implant, holding onto it firmly in a process called “osseointegration.” 
Dental Implants: The Benefits
There are a number of benefits for patients who get dental implants:
- They are strong, secure and durable.
- They can last for many years (even a lifetime) with good care and regular visits to the dentist.
- They restore a patient’s ability to chew food thoroughly.
- They allow the dentist to add a really good-looking porcelain veneer restoration on top that looks and functions like a natural tooth.
Dr. Jay is a skilled provider of the dental implants San Diego residents need to restore their smiles. He evaluates each patient's case carefully to determine if he/she is a good candidate for the procedure, because not everyone has an ideal case. A patient needs a healthy jawbone (no inflammation or infections in the mouth) before getting the implant placed.
After taking a good look at a patient's x-rays, Dr. Jay can determine if the patient’s jawbone can accept and hold an implant. In many cases it can be done with great success.
After a successful procedure, a dental implant can last a lifetime, but it's really up to the patient. Attending regular cleanings, brushing twice per day and flossing every night before bed is crucial to keeping an implant for the long haul.
What more would you like to learn about a dental implant at our San Diego dental practice? Call us at (858) 270-0682.
