For years we have depended on dentures and bridges to replace missing teeth. And for those of you that have dentures you understand how difficult it is to speak, eat, and even smile with dentures. Implants can fix this. On this page I hope to help make implants easier to understand and what we can do with them. In the past, for one or two missing teeth you would get a bridge, which involves the grinding away of good tooth structure. Implants can fix this. This illustration demonstrates the difference between a bridge and implant.

A dental implant is a titanium screw that is placed in your mouth that holds a crown or a denture in place. This has changed the lives of many of our patients at Mesa Dental. We no longer have to rely on adhesives or suction to hold dentures. We no longer have to grind good teeth down to stubs to replace a tooth.

The process involves minimal discomfort and downtime. Most patients have no discomfort during or after the procedure.

There are three parts to the implant: the titanium implant screw that is placed, the abutment, which holds the crown onto the implant and then the crown. On the side there is another illustration that shows how closely the implant replicates our real teeth and the three parts of the implant.

At Mesa Dental we know how frustrating dentures can be. Generally we can get the upper dentures somewhat comfortable with the suction of the pallet. For some dentures, upper and lowers, can just be very uncomfortable. Dr. Chase Davis can place implants and a denture that stays in. We offer many options for implant-retained dentures including: hybrid dentures, all on 4 dentures, and locator-supported dentures. All have different costs, pros and cons. Come in for a complimentary exam to evaluate your case and have Dr. Davis answer you questions.

Another reason implants are a great option for tooth replacement is it holds the bone in the jaw. As you remove teeth the supporting bone is lost. This has 2 major consequences. 1. You lose supporting bone for teeth surrounding the tooth that was lost. This can cause sensitivity issues, loose teeth and esthetic concerns. 2. It makes our cheeks ‘sink in’ and make us age more as you can see in the picture below. Implants have revolutionized the way we replace teeth. Implants help retain the bone and bone loss is minimal was the implant is placed and stable. If you are thinking about implants please call us today.