Dental Implants

Dental implants are the most progressive option available for replacing a missing tooth. Implants look, feel, and act just like natural teeth.

The professional team at Bristol Dental & Orthodontics includes the best implant specialists in the U.S. With a career focus on implant surgery, Dr. Tamer Shalaby has mentored at the Ladera Ranch Implant Institute and perfected reconstruction techniques for bone loss. Bridges and dentures are sound dentistry, but have drawbacks. A bridge is attached to crowns on either side of a missing tooth. Tooth structure must be removed from those healthy teeth to hold the crowns. If there is a problem with the one tooth in the bridge, the entire bridge is impacted and usually needs to be replaced. And, a bridge cannot be flossed in between the teeth, the major cause of failure.

Implants resolve these issues. Since it is an individual tooth, placing an implant does not damage the adjacent teeth. A problem with the implant (while that is rare) or an adjoining tooth won’t affect other teeth. The implant can be (and should be!) brushed and flossed, ensuring its long life. Dental implants are more secure than dentures – no worries with poor fit or lose dentures anymore. Implants are there to hold your dentures in place.

The dental implant has two parts. First, a titanium screw, similar to the root of the missing tooth, is inserted into the jawbone. Titanium is biocompatible – the human body accepts it readily with little chance of rejection. Titanium has been in use in the medical field for years in procedures such as hip, shoulder, and other hard tissue replacement.

Once integrated into the bone, the screw provides a stable base for the crown. The crown is made of porcelain, for a natural look and feel. Since the whole replacement tooth is porcelain (not just a shell like a conventional crown), it is thick and strong.

Anyone with one or more missing teeth – lost, broken, a root canal that has failed several times, or a filling so large it weakens the tooth – can consider dental implants. We can even stabilize areas with considerable bone loss.

The dental implant takes a little while to complete, but the benefits are remarkable. It is a permanent, durable solution that’s easy to maintain. With good home care, the implant will last a lifetime.