If you have missing teeth, it is crucial to replace them. Without all your teeth, chewing and eating can destabilize your bite and cause you discomfort. When teeth are missing, your mouth and teeth can shift and even cause your face to look older. Implants are a great way to replace your missing teeth.

An implant is a new tooth made of titanium and porcelain that looks just like your natural tooth. Your implant is composed of two parts that mimic a tooth's root and crown. The implant's "root" is a titanium artificial root placed into the jaw bone to act as an anchor for the tooth. Once the artificial root is in place, a porcelain crown is attached to replace the top part of your tooth.

Implants may also be used to anchor dentures ("mini-implants"), especially lower dentures that tend to shift when you talk or chew. Plus, for patients with removable partial dentures, implants can replace missing teeth so that you have a more natural-looking smile.  This procedure is accomplished in one day in most cases.  This will dramatically affect your ability to chew normal foods.  More importantly, when the implant is placed in the bone, the bone doesn't resorb (dissolve), making your denture last longer and fit better.  Even if you denture fits wonderfully now, it may not in the future!  Preserve the bone now with mini's.

We currently use 3-D rendering to virtually place implants prior to the day of surgery.  This allows us to accurately place the implant (artificial root) for the best success.  Dr. Stinchfield is able to both place and restore implants within our practice.  If you have any further questions, or would like a consult to discuss options, please give us a call or email.