Are You a Good Candidate for Dental Implant Treatment?

Nothing good can come from living with missing teeth. Tooth loss impairs oral health and function and ruins your smile’s esthetics. Getting dental implants is one of the best solutions to resolving tooth loss issues. Dr. Rich Flores and our team at Rich Flores, DDS, LLC offer implant treatment to our patients in Willoughby, Ohio, and nearby communities.

Are You a Good Candidate for Implants?

Implants are titanium screws that are surgically embedded into your jaw to support artificial teeth. Once there, they fuse with your bone system to become your new tooth root. 

The best candidates for implants are people with good oral health, good overall health, and sufficient bone density in their jaw to support the implants. It also helps if you’re a non-smoker, as smoking can interfere with the fusing process. Getting implants also requires a commitment to good oral hygiene to keep the implants strong and healthy long-term.  

Dental Implants Procedure

Implants aren’t a quick dental fix. Getting implants is a long process that can take up to a year to complete, depending on the complexity of your treatment. 

Here are the steps to an implant procedure: 

• Evaluation – to determine if you’re a good candidate for implant treatment
• Anesthesia – for pain-free treatment
• Implant surgery – to place the implant inside your jawbone. Dr. Flores will cut your gum to expose your jawbone, drill a hole in the bone, and insert the implant. Then your gum will be stitched so it can heal
• Osseointegration – the process of the implants fusing with your bone system. This can take between 4 and 12 months to complete. Osseointegration makes implants a permanent part of your jaw to support your replacement teeth
• Placement of abutment and replacement teeth – The abutment is a connector that holds your replacement teeth firmly in place when you smile, laugh, or eat

Implant Treatment Near Me

With implants, you can complete your smile with restorations that look, feel, and function like natural teeth. To learn more about the benefits of implant treatment, contact Dr. Rich Flores in Willoughby, OH, at (440) 856-8774.