Discover the many advantages to choosing dental implants.

Did you know that over 36 million Americans have no teeth and 120 million Americans are missing at least one permanent tooth? Unfortunately, these statistics are only supposed to increase over the next few years. If you are an adult who is currently looking for a way to treat your tooth loss and to regain your healthy smile our Port Orchard, WA, cosmetic dentist Dr. Ronald Schoepflin is here to tell you more about dental implants.

What are dental implants?

Implants are small metal posts or screws that are designed to take over the role of tooth roots. When you lose one or more teeth you also lose the roots of your teeth, which are vitally important to the health of your jawbone. While there are other dental restorations on the market that can replace your missing teeth they can’t actually replace tooth roots. This makes dental implants the only restoration that can fully function and look like a real tooth.

How do dental implants work?

In order for an implant to take on the role of your tooth roots, it will need to be placed within the jawbone. This can be done during a very simple surgical procedure. Our Port Orchard, WA, dentist will first administer a local anesthetic to numb the area thoroughly before opening up the gums to reveal the jawbone.

A small hole is drilled out of a specific area of the jawbone to place the implant before the gums are stitched up. What makes implants so different from other restorations is the fact that it naturally fuses together with the jawbone as the bone begins to heal. This will occur over the course of a couple months, making the jawbone and the metal implant one permanent unit from which to support a false tooth. An implant is the only tooth replacement that could actually end up lasting you the rest of your life.

Just because you are dealing with tooth loss now doesn’t mean that you have to deal with it for the rest of your life. Dental implants can completely change your smile around for the better. Call Schoepflin Dental Excellence in Port Orchard, WA, today to schedule a consultation with us.