Learn Why an Implant Dentist Uses Titanium Posts

As an implant dentist, we can replace your missing teeth.  Dental implants have been around since the first man or woman, decided that they were tired of losing teeth. They took a hammer and the materials available around them and crafted the first replacements. Usually made of bone or shells, these “implants” were hammered into the jawbone in the place of the lost tooth. Since this time, we definitely have made improvements to the way we perform dental implant surgery.  However, the idea of keeping all our teeth has endured. In fact, it has grown into a passion and a profession for dentists around the world.

Today's implant dentist has the advantage of another material, found in our surroundings, which allow people to have long lasting beautify replacements to natural teeth. Titanium is a metal that has many uses. For one, NASA uses it to build space ships, while TaylorMade designs state of the art golf clubs with it. For an implants dentist, titanium has given us the ability to craft dental implants that can, under the right circumstances, last as long as 30 years. It is no accident that we use titanium in the majority of our implants, having discovered that titanium has a unique quality that helps the body accept the replacement root.

Known as Osseointegration, titanium can form a bond with the jawbone in a completely unique way and without the need for connective soft tissue. Once the implant is completed, and healed, the titanium screw, which makes up the implant, and the jawbone form a unique and symbiotic relationship that is good for both the jaw and for the implant. The jaw for its part accepts the implant as a replacement for the removed root and begins to heal around it. Providing strength and stability for the implant, the jawbone treats the titanium screw exactly as though it were a natural biological root. For its part, the titanium screw also behaves much the same way as a natural biological root by encouraging the jaw bone to grow and develop along a natural trajectory.

Aside from Osseointegration, titanium has a number of other qualities that make it perfect for creating dental implants. For one, titanium is an extremely strong but equally light material. When you consider that dental implants are placed in the mouth, it is important for the substance used to be lightweight so as to not put undue pressure on the mouth muscles. Secondly, people depend on a strong bite. The average person has the ability to exert around 200lbs of pressure per square inch with their natural teeth. This allows us to bite through most foods and effectively start the digestive process. Studies have shown that dental implants, with titanium, gives the patient exactly the same amount of bite pressure and has little to no impact on their lifestyle. A strong, resilient, and lightweight material makes titanium priceless in the fight for perfect teeth and the choice of an implant dentist.

Cosmetic Dentist  >  Teeth Whitening

Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before a Cosmetic Dentistry Appointment

Cosmetic dentistry is an excellent way to improve your smile, transforming imperfections into beautiful teeth.  With so many treatment options and a world of possibilities it is important to narrow down what your goals and objectives are before meeting with the dentist.  This will ensure that you can clearly articulate what you want to accomplish.

When scheduling an appointment with our office, we recommend that you have your teeth cleaned and examined at the same time.  This way we can help to keep your teeth healthy and be sure that there are no lingering health issues that need to be addressed prior to starting any cosmetic work.  Once the examination is complete, pull out your list of notes and let us know what you don't like about your smile.

Before your appointment consider the following:

How much time do you have available?  Any type of dental work comes with a time commitment.  Whether it is one appointment or five, we need to know how much time you have available along with if you are on a deadline. For example, if you are getting married in six months we will want to know about it so that all of your treatments can be scheduled accordingly.  This may influence which treatments we recommend.  Simultaneously, if it is hard for you to take time off of work we will want to know so that we can look for appointment times that would work for you and allow for recovery over the weekend.  There is no right or wrong answer; we just need the information to plan accordingly.

How white do you want your teeth?  It is important for you to feel comfortable with your teeth.  In our cosmetic dentistry office, we need to know how white you want your teeth to get.  Whether completing a teeth whitening procedure or applying dental veneers or crowns, we need to know the shade you are comfortable with so that they can be created accordingly.

What don't you like about your smile?  Come with a list of the things that you would improve if you could.  This should be as specific as possible so that we can be sure to address each issue.  For example, “I don't like my smile” makes it difficult to provide treatment recommendations.  On the other hand, “I don't like the gaps in between my teeth or their color” is easy to understand and to identify treatment solutions.  We can easily see what issues are preventing your smile from looking perfect, but it is unnecessary to treat something that isn't bothering you.

Do you like the appearance of your gums?  Many people suffer from a gummy smile where too much of their gum tissue shows for comfort.  Others struggle with a receding gum line.  We can help you with both problems and need to know how you feel about your gums.

Our cosmetic dentistry office has a plethora of options for treating your teeth and correcting any imperfections in your smile.  By coming prepared to discuss what you want, we can make more thorough treatment recommendations.

Teeth Whitening  >  Spanish Speaking Dentist