Dr. Andrew Mortensen from Fountain Valley, CA is here blogging today to explain how dental implants could be the perfect solution for people that love to travel but suffer from missing teeth or dental issues. Are you one of those people that puts flying freely over your teeth and gums? Dental implants could be the perfect solution with no strings attached that could work to restore your oral health in just months. We, here at Andrew G. Mortensen D.D.S Inc in Fountain Valley, CA, know how important it is to see the wonders of the world, but we value tooth and gum health so much more.
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots that are placed into the jaw to help reduce further decay and gum disease. When spaces in the gums become susceptible to infection and disease the gum tissue is damaged over time, which can lead to the destruction of the jaw bone. Once the bone tissue in the jaw begins to deteriorate, the bone can disappear altogether; this leads to facial deformation. If you are not already aware, you need a sufficient amount, strength, and structure in the jaw in order to have the dental implant procedure done. A patient experiencing this will need to get a bone grafting done that will replace the fractured and damaged tissue with new and healthy bone. Someone that has a bone graft will need at least 3-5 months to recover from the procedure and for the jaw to regain strength.
If the candidate does not have severe damage in their jaw, the doctor will schedule an appointment to start the dental implant process. During this stage, the doctor will place titanium alloy in the jaw to start the process of osseointegration; this is the natural bonding of the titanium in the jaw bone to ensure a permanent and comfortable fit of the porcelain crowns. After having this done, the patient must wait 4-6 months for the process to complete and the mouth to heal; during this time they must follow the strict instructions given to them by the doctor and continuously clean the mouth out to reduce the amount of bacteria.
After the waiting stage is over and the osseointegration was successful, the patient is now ready for the tooth- colored, porcelain crowns to be placed into the mouth; to complete the smile. We make sure that the implants are compared to your natural teeth in order to establish the best fit, look, and feel just like your original teeth. No one will be able to tell that you have them in, and you may even forget yourself.
One great thing about dental implants is that they are as strong as your natural teeth, and due to the osseointegration, they are naturally implanted into the jaw. Flossing these will be just like flossing your natural teeth, so make sure to brush and floss thoroughly and do not hold back. Although these cannot decay, you are not completely off the hook when it comes to cleaning out your mouth; patients can develop peri- implantitis which is the destruction of hard and soft tissue surrounding the implant. After spending time and money on this procedure, it would be a waste to not treat it well and value it.
Generally our patients only need about 2-3 days to recover from this procedure and we ask that they stay in town for at least 14 days after getting dental implants to make sure that the healing is happening properly. If there is any excessive bleeding or swelling, call us immediately.
We ask that you pencil us in your roaming calendar for only the span of time between the 2 or 3 appointments, but you won’t be on bed rest or anything like this during that time. If you do have severe bone damage in the jaw, keep in mind that this healing will extend the amount of time you will need to reserve.
Want to learn more about the procedure? Visit our Dental Implant Info page.
Call us Today to Schedule a Consultation in Fountain Valley, CA
Let us help you fly freely and without dental worry on your next excursion to the unknown. Start the process of dental implants today to secure your dental safety during your future travels; it will be the lightest carry on you have ever brought with you! Call us at 714-421-4722