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Dental Implants

Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, Oakleaf, Orange Park

Dental implants are permanent replacements for missing tooth roots and are the most sturdy and permanent choice for tooth replacement. Dr. Blankenship can use a dental implant to replace a very damaged tooth that needs to be removed or one that has been missing for years. It relieves you of having to deal with dentures or removable bridges, and it restores the beauty of your smile and health of your mouth.

Implant and Crown

A dental implant is made of a titanium alloy that fuses well with bone tissue. Your jawbone will grow in around it and make it part of your jaw like a natural tooth root. Dr. Blankenship then attaches a porcelain crown to the top of the implant. That crown is created here in our office with CEREC technology. By fitting perfectly against the opposing tooth and matching the color of surrounding teeth, it will blend in perfectly with your smile.

Damage Caused by Missing Teeth and Missing Roots

A missing tooth can make an otherwise beautiful smile look unattractive and unhealthy. It can also do long-term damage to your entire mouth. That gap allows the neighboring teeth to gradually drift out of position, creating a crooked smile and misaligned bite. That in turn can cause premature wear and tear as your teeth come together incorrectly each time you bite. It also leads to shrinkage of gum tissue and possible migraine-like headaches.

Further, the missing tooth root leaves a gap in the jawbone. This is just as damaging as a tooth gap because the bone tissue shrinks inward to fill that gap. This alters your jaw line and facial shape, giving you an older look. Again, this can also throw your bite out of alignment, leading to the painful condition called Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD or TMJ).

Advantages of Dental Implants

Dental implants have many advantages over other tooth replacement options including:

Comfort – they cannot slip or rub your gums
Easy to care for – the implant itself needs no care and the tooth it anchors needs only the same care you give your natural teeth to prevent gum disease
Permanent – they never need replacing as long as you practice good dental hygiene
Dental health maintenance – they prevent gum shrinkage and bone loss by replacing the missing root as well as the missing tooth

Am I a Candidate for Dental Implants?

The ideal candidate for dental implants has enough healthy jaw bone to support the implant and is in good oral health. If you have any decay or gum disease, Dr. Blankenship would need to address that before any implant work was begun. If you need more than one tooth replaced, you can have more than one implant. Four implants can hold an entire arch of teeth and eight can hold a mouthful.

To learn more about dental implants, please read our Questions about Implant Dentistry and view our Before and After Gallery. Please contact us today to schedule your complimentary cosmetic dentistry consultation in the Ponte Vedra and Oakleaf, Jacksonville, Florida area.