After tooth loss, you may also notice that your facial contours change as there’s no longer a tooth to support and fill out your jawline and cheeks. The loss of even one tooth impacts your appearance and confidence. But it also affects the health and structure of your jaw in the long run. A healthy natural tooth promotes jawbone and tissue growth, but when a tooth is lost, the jawbone degenerates.
Our goal at the office of Dr. Michael Ryan, DDS, and Collin Ryan, DMD, is to protect the health of your smile and provide you with solutions to improve your quality of life. If you are dealing with tooth loss, we are pleased to offer state-of-the-art dental implants that energize your appearance and allow you to eat and speak with comfort and confidence.
How Dental Implants Work
You may think of dental implants as a recent innovation, but the fact is that implants have been in use for over 40 years. Both dentists and patients prefer dental implants because they offer so many benefits.
A dental implant consists of three pieces: a tiny implant post made of titanium, an abutment, and a restoration to recover function. The first step involves surgically placing the post into the jawbone to replace missing tooth roots. Dr. Michael Ryan will refer you to a leading specialist who is an expert in dental implant surgery for placement.
For patients with bone loss in the jaw, the oral surgeon may recommend bone grafting before the implant surgery to provide a stable foundation for the implant.
Restoring Healthy Smiles at Our Sarasota Dental Office
The type of restoration we choose––a crown, bridge, or denture––depends on your unique needs. We typically use dental crowns to replace a single tooth, and we design them to blend seamlessly with your smile. However, if you’re missing more than one tooth, we may recommend a dental bridge.
Many denture wearers often complain about unsatisfactory comfort and fit. Today, we can use implants placed at various points along your jaw combined with a customized denture designed to snap onto the implants. This method allows us to stabilize a full or partial denture so that you never have to deal with the embarrassment of a denture that slips when you eat, laugh, or sneeze.
Are You Ready to Schedule a Dental Implant Consultation?
The implant process starts with a consultation where Dr. Michael Ryan evaluates your needs, answers your questions, and helps you decide if an implant is a suitable choice for you.
Dr. Michael Ryan and our team of dental experts serve all surrounding areas, including South Sarasota, Beneva, Gulf Gate Estates, Vamo, Siesta Key, Osprey, and Bee Ridge. Please give us a call if you’re in the Sarasota or Siesta Key area and you’re considering dental implants.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can rely on your tooth implant to provide years of function, aesthetics, and stability since it has the potential to last for a lifetime. When you commit to a consistent brushing and flossing routine and visiting your Sarasota dentist every six months for dental checkups, you ensure that you get longevity from your investment.
The part that we refer to as an implant is a small titanium post placed into the bone of the jaw that acts as a replacement root for a missing tooth. Over time, the post fuses with surrounding bone through the process of osseointegration. We then restore the part of the tooth you can see with a crown, bridge, or denture, depending on your specific needs.