At Willamette Valley Periodontics in McMinnville, you can reclaim your smile and confidence with permanent dental implants! Missing teeth can significantly affect your quality of life, impacting everything from enjoying your favorite foods to feeling confident in your smile. At Willamette Valley Periodontics, Dr. Graser and his team specialize in dental implants, the most advanced and effective solution for replacing missing teeth.
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots, typically made of biocompatible titanium, that are surgically placed into your jawbone. Once integrated with the bone, they provide a strong, stable foundation for a custom-made crown, bridge, or even a full denture, restoring both the function and aesthetics of your smile in a way no other option can.
Why Choose Dental Implants?
The benefits of dental implants extend far beyond just replacing missing teeth. Top benefits of permanent dental implants include:
- Their natural look and feel. Implants are designed to look, feel, and function just like your natural teeth. Because they're permanently fused to your bone, you won't experience the slipping, discomfort, or clicking sounds associated with traditional dentures.
- Restored speech and chewing ability. Missing teeth or ill-fitting dentures can affect your speech and chewing ability. Dental implants restore your ability to speak clearly and enjoy your favorite foods without pain.
- Preservation of jawbone health. When a tooth is lost, the surrounding jawbone can begin to deteriorate. Dental implants act like natural tooth roots, stimulating the jawbone and preventing bone loss, which helps maintain your facial structure.
- Enhanced oral health. Unlike traditional bridges, implants don't require altering adjacent healthy teeth. This means more of your natural teeth remain intact, improving your long-term oral health.
- Durability and longevity. With proper care, dental implants are designed to last a lifetime, making them a cost-effective and enduring solution for tooth replacement.
The Dental Implant Process
At Willamette Valley Periodontics in McMinnville, the journey to your new smile with dental implants typically involves several carefully managed stages, all expertly guided by our experienced team. We'll begin with a comprehensive examination and planning phase, where we use advanced 3-D digital X-rays and an intraoral scanner to thoroughly assess your bone density, identify vital structures, and digitally plan the precise placement of each implant for optimal and predictable results. Next is the implant placement, where the biocompatible titanium implant is comfortably and surgically placed into your jawbone under local anesthesia or gentle sedation.
Over the following months, a crucial process called osseointegration occurs, during which the implant securely fuses directly with your jawbone. Once this bonding is complete, a small abutment (connector piece) is attached to the implant, forming the stable base for your new tooth. The final step involves your restorative dentist creating and securely attaching a custom-made crown, bridge, or denture that perfectly matches your natural teeth, completing your beautiful and functional new smile.
Implant-Supported Dentures
For our patients missing all or most of their teeth, Willamette Valley Periodontics offers implant-supported dentures as a vastly superior alternative to traditional removable dentures. Instead of relying on suction or messy adhesives, these dentures are securely clipped or screwed onto a small number of strategically placed dental implants (typically 2 to 6 implants per arch).
Implant-supported dentures provide remarkable stability, allowing you to eat, speak, and smile with confidence, eliminating the discomfort of slipping dentures for an enhanced quality of life.
Learn More About Reclaiming Your Smile with Dental Implants
At Willamette Valley Periodontics, we are dedicated to helping you achieve a healthy, functional, and beautiful smile through the life-changing benefits of dental implants. Our team is proud to offer our expertise to help you reclaim your smile from tooth loss. We invite you to schedule a consultation to discuss how dental implants can transform your oral health and confidence!
