What You Should Know About Implant Dentistry

As a provider of implant dentistry, we provide patients throughout the area with the ability to regain the appearance and functionality of their smile.  Losing teeth can be ridiculously challenging.  Most people never realize how important their teeth are to daily life until they lose one or several.  All of a sudden, smiling and speaking becomes embarrassing.  Speech sounds different than it used to, eating becomes a challenge, etc.  The entire ordeal can leave people stressed out and unsure of what to do.  If you are in this situation, we encourage you to call for a consultation so that we can examine you and present you with solutions to address your tooth loss.

Why we recommend implant dentistry –
If you have lost one or several teeth, we recommend implant dentistry as the best way to replace them. The reason is simple – osseointegration.  This is the only option for tooth loss that is surgically placed in your mouth.  In this procedure, a titanium post is inserted under your gums and secured to the jawbone.  This is done surgically under anesthesia and it takes a week or so to fully recover from the procedure.  Over the course of several months, the jawbone and titanium post will fuse together through the process of osseointegration and this is what makes an implant so strong and so durable.  The jawbone essentially provides the same level of stability to the implant that it did to the natural tooth.  In turn, the implant provides stimulation to the jawbone which serves to prevent resorption.  As a result, a dental implant is the most natural way to replace teeth and it can improve your health while restoring your smile.

The process of implant dentistry –
Before we can place the implants, we will need to examine you physically to ensure that you are in good oral health.  If you show any signs of gum disease or infections, we will have those corrected prior to getting started.  On the day of surgery, you will be given anesthesia and will most likely fall asleep.  How long the actual procedure takes will depend on how many implants are being placed in your mouth.  To stay comfortable afterwards, we recommend that you take ibuprofen, use an icepack and are careful with what and how you eat for several days.  Your gums will heal before you know it and once they do, you will just need to wait for osseointegration.  During this time, we will be preparing your new tooth or teeth (dental crowns).  This is done by taking measurements and an impression of your mouth.  The dental lab will create new teeth that look so natural, they blend in with any of your remaining ones.  The results are so perfect, so natural looking, that most people cannot tell the difference after they are placed.  We will have you come in for that appointment within a couple months of the initial procedure.  In the meantime, many people will wear a temporary denture to keep their smile intact.

To learn more about implant dentistry and to find out if you are a good candidate, call to schedule an appointment.  We are confident that this solution will impress you as it is the most natural looking and durable of all tooth replacement solutions.

Implant Dentist  >  Cosmetic Dentist

What Is Gum Recession and Why You Should Treat It Quickly

We can treat your gum recession and restore your gum health in the process. If you want healthy and beautiful-looking gums, it is important to take care of them. You can do so using ongoing, preventative care and having your teeth cleaned twice a year. This will help to prevent plaque from building up on your teeth, becoming trapped, and causing gum disease. However, if you go for too long in between teeth cleanings or do not practice good oral hygiene at home, you can fall victim to periodontal disease and gum recession.

What is gum recession?
When your gum tissue begins to pull away from your tooth structure, you have gum recession. It looks like your gums are shrinking or becoming smaller, and as a result, your teeth will look longer.

What causes gum recession?
Plaque and tartar building up under your gums will start to cause irritation. If the plaque is not removed, you can suffer from gum disease and your gums may begin to recede.

How is it treated?
We will start by removing any plaque and tartar from your teeth and on, under, and around your gums. This is the first step in making sure that anything irritating your gums is eliminated. If you have an infection of any kind, you may also need a treatment of antibiotics. Once this is done, we can begin to address the actual recession and start to secure your gums around your teeth.
We can restore the position of your gums using a gum grafting procedure. In this scenario, you are given anesthesia before the tissue is removed from the roof of your mouth and sutured to your gums. The procedure is effective but also invasive and does require a recovery time where you will want to be home and away from work. For this reason, many people do not have time to schedule this procedure to truly restore their gum health.

Fortunately, we have a non-invasive alternative. We use the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique™ to restore gums to full health. This is a far more comfortable procedure for you, our patient. It is a scalpel- and suture-free procedure, which means we do not need to cut into your gums or your mouth and we do not need to suture or stitch your gums back together. Instead, we are using innovative methods to stimulate gum growth and position the gums back around the teeth. By creating small pinholes with a needle, we can get into the tissue to stimulate and position the gums without actually cutting them. Since the procedure itself is non-invasive, your gums will not swell or bleed like they would with a surgical gum grafting procedure. While there may be slight discomfort for a day or two, it will go away quickly and can easily be controlled using an ice pack and ibuprofen. We have found that our patients appreciate how convenient the procedure and the recovery process is by comparison.
To learn more about the treatments we offer for gum recession, call and schedule an appointment for a consultation.

Periodontist  >  Lanap Laser Dentistry Palo Alto CA