When it comes to repairing damaged oral structures or replacing missing teeth, we offer the full range of reconstructive options at Designer Smiles. A custom reconstruction plan designed for your specific needs can restore dental health, beauty, and function, as well as your self-confidence:
Dental Implants
Dental implants are fast becoming the most popular way to replace one or more missing teeth. Dentists have found that implants tend to be more durable and behave more like natural teeth than other methods of tooth replacement, such as bridges and removable dentures.
The first step of getting a dental implant is to have a titanium support-post placed in the jawbone where the missing tooth was. To complete this specialized procedure, we partner with a highly qualified oral surgeon in the area. After the post has been implanted, you will need to let it heal for three to six months so the post can be fully integrated with the bone around it. This process, called osseointegration, is why dental implants have similar strength to healthy, natural teeth.
Once the post is firmly seated in the jaw and has fully healed, you will return to our office to be fitted with your new tooth. It will be carefully crafted to match the size, shape, and color of the surrounding teeth. Dental implants are often so realistic that our patients forget they have them! Before you leave, we will give you full instructions on how to care for your new implant and answer any remaining questions you might have.
Most people with healthy teeth and gums are good candidates for dental implants. It is important that you have enough healthy bone in your jaw to support the titanium implant post; one of our experienced dentists can easily determine your candidacy during your consultation and will be able to discuss other tooth replacement options with you as well. Contact Designer Smiles today to make an appointment, or visit our dental implants page for more information.
Implant Dentures
Full-arch dentures can be secured and supported by dental implants for results that look, feel, and function more like natural teeth! Implant dentures can be great options for patients who want to upgrade from their removable dentures, have depleted jawbone structure, and/or want an affordable natural-looking way to replace full arches of teeth with long-lasting results. At Designer Smiles we offer several different implant denture solutions that can be customized to suit your unique dental needs and goals.
Mini-Dental Implants
Mini-dental implants allow patients to replace some or all of their teeth with implant supported bridges or dentures. This innovative solution enhances stability, eliminates “slippage” and the need for adhesives, and improves overall comfort. Mini-dental implants may be ideal for patients who want the security of dental implants, but lack sufficient jawbone density for a full set of single tooth implants. This dental implant option is also typically a more cost-effective method of tooth replacement and requires significantly less healing time than standard dental implants.
Porcelain Crowns
If our dentists determine that you need a crown on one of your teeth, your first appointment will be used to measure the tooth’s dimensions. The dentist will also take careful notes on the color and overall appearance of the tooth to be capped so that the lab can create a faithful reproduction. This will be followed by preparation, impression, and custom temporization.
Many commercial labs are available for crown and bridge fabrication. A thorough examination of several lab clinicians has been carried out. Our lab technician is available in-office for custom shade consultations to achieve maximum esthetic result. Our experienced dentists agree that our current lab tech is the best functional and esthetic technician our practice has ever used.
Tooth Extraction
Sometimes, a tooth simply cannot be saved. Whether due to severe decay, traumatic injury, or other causes, tooth extraction may be the best option to prevent further damage to surrounding teeth and gums. Our dentists can remove severely infected teeth, or wisdom teeth that have penetrated the gum line. Although tooth extraction is sometimes necessary, it is typically an option of last resort and we will make a thorough evaluation of the affected tooth before recommending removal.
Bone Grafting
Bone grafting is often used to reverse the loss of bone in the mouth due to gum disease, ill-fitting dentures, tooth loss, or injury. At Designer Smiles, we typically offer bone grafting to augment bone in the area of missing teeth in order to accommodate a dental implant. Once the graft is in place, it will take several months for it to fuse to the existing bone; however, once fusion has taken place, you should be ready for the placement of a dental implant and a permanent, natural-looking replacement for missing teeth.
All-On-4®
The All-on-4 technique uses four dental implants to secure a full-arch denture prosthesis. This approach offers results that are stable, secure, durable, and natural-looking so that you can smile, chew, and speak confidently! All-on-4 can be a great option for patients who want to upgrade from their removable dentures and/or those who lack the jawbone density necessary to support a full arch of dental implants restored with individual implant crowns.
