gumy smile and gum contouring

Implant Dentist

Lafayette, CA

At Lafayette Dental Implant Center, we are an implant dentist office that can replace your missing teeth in a way that looks entirely natural and beautiful. If you have experienced adult tooth loss, we encourage you to call (510) 257-2284 and schedule an appointment with our Lafayette, CA dental office to determine if you are a good candidate for this procedure. In the meantime, here are some questions that are commonly asked about dental implants.

Why are implants better than dentures or dental bridges?

As an implant dentist, we can replace both the root and tooth. When you use dentures or a dental bridge to replace teeth, they only replace the visible portion of the tooth. While an effective way to restore your smile and ability to eat and speak, this does not provide the level of stimulation that your jawbone needs to prevent resorption. Your root and tooth stimulate your jawbone every time that you bite down and chew. This informs the body that your jaw is serving its purpose by supporting your teeth. Without teeth, your body will begin to leach calcium from your jawbone to distribute to other areas of the body. The loss of bone density can give you a sunken appearance and make you appear far older than you actually are. By placing dental implants in our dental office, we can restore your lost tooth while preserving your jawbone and facial appearance at the same time. No other solution is as effective at doing so.

What we do as an implant dentist

As an implant dentist, we replace teeth on a regular basis using a surgical procedure. To determine if you qualify for implant surgery, we need to examine your gums and take X-rays to find out if you have enough bone density for the procedure. If you do not, we can discuss other options like mini dental implants or the All-on-4 procedure which are also implanted, but the metal posts are smaller.

Regardless of which procedure is right for you, we can do everything in our power to give you replacement teeth that look natural, beautiful and function like your natural teeth once did. With implants, you can continue to eat all of your favorite foods, speak clearly, and have a confident smile, free from the worry that your teeth could fall out.

Lafayette Implant Dentist

Our qualifications as an implant dentist

While most general dentists provide some options for tooth replacement, only an implant dentist can replace both your tooth and your root. This is a surgical procedure where a titanium post is implanted under your gums and secured to your jawbone. The bone and metal will eventually fuse together through the process of osseointegration creating a strong and durable new root system that the tooth can be secured to. Since this is done surgically, it is important that you visit a dentist that has received additional training on how to complete the procedure quickly and efficiently. This will ensure that you do not spend longer than necessary in the dental chair and that you can recover quickly. Otherwise, your recovery process could be unnecessarily prolonged due to a lack of experience by the dentist completing your procedure. While there is no standardized training or accreditation program for an implant dentist, we have completed additional courses in addition to graduating from dental school. Also, the number of dental implants that are placed by an cosmetic dentist are significantly higher than the number of procedures performed by a traditional family dentist. As with any surgery, the more often a dentist completes the procedure, the faster and more accurate they will be at doing so. For this reason, if you live in Lafayette, CA or the surrounding area, we invite you to call 510-257-2284 and schedule an appointment for a consultation. During your appointment, we can answer your questions and provide you with more information regarding the number of procedures we perform and the additional training that we have received.

The procedures we perform

As an implant dentist, we have several types of implant procedures that we perform. The one that we recommend will be based on the density of your jawbone.

Traditional Dental Implants

To qualify for this procedure, you need to have sufficient density in your jawbone, which makes it necessary to visit us quickly after tooth loss. We begin by sedating you, to help you remain comfortable and not feel anything. Very often, we put patients to sleep because it can take several hours to place all of the implants. This is a surgical procedure where we insert a titanium post under the gums and secure it to the jawbone in the place where each missing tooth was. The titanium post creates a new root that the tooth will eventually be secured to. The process of osseointegration should take place first to ensure that the new tooth has maximum stability. Since it can take a couple of months to complete the procedure, many of our patients will wear a temporary denture to give them a somewhat natural looking smile until the new tooth is secured to the implant. After the surgery, you will need to be careful with what you eat for a few days since your gums will be sore. Once the process has been completed, you will be able to eat all of your favorite foods without restriction. As an implant dentist, we can provide you with the sturdiest and most durable tooth replacement solution available today.

All-on-4

At Lafayette Dental Implant Center, our team offers the All-on-4 procedure for patients that do not qualify for traditional dental implants or those that are looking for a faster solution to tooth loss. This procedure can be completed in two appointments. The first appointment is to take an impression of your mouth and to take measurements so that a new set of teeth can be created. The teeth will look natural and beautiful while being attached to synthetic gums, similar to how dentures are created. The difference is that this set of teeth snaps in place, secured to a set of four implants. When you come in for the second appointment, the four implants are placed, and the new set of teeth are secured to them. You can leave with a full set of natural looking teeth that are incredibly durable. If you live in the Lafayette, CA area, we invite you to call 510-257-2284 and learn more about this procedure. For those looking for a fast solution to tooth loss, this is a fantastic option that will remain in place when you speak, eat and engage in high impact activities. To get started, visit our Lafayette dental office today.

 Check out what others are saying about our implant dental services on Yelp: Implant Dentist Lafayette

Questions Answered on This Page

Q. Are dental implants better than dentures or dental bridges?

Q. Do I qualify for dental implants?

Q. What are All-On-4® Implants?

People Also Ask

Q. How do I know if dental implants are right for me?

Q. What is the process for dental implants?

Q. Will I be able to eat my favorite foods after receiving dental implants?

Definition of Dental Implant Terminology

Alveolar Bone

The alveolar bone is the bone surrounding the root of the tooth that keeps the tooth in place.

Denture Base

The denture base is the part of the denture that connects the artificial teeth with the soft tissue of the gums.

Fixed Full Arch Restoration

A fixed full arch restoration is a common treatment option for edentulous patients who are missing either all or at least an entire arch of their teeth.

Full Arch Rehabilitation

Full arch rehabilitation involves using the All-on-4 ™ to help patients maintain and use a new set of teeth that look natural.

Graftless Procedure

A graftless procedure is a dental implant procedure that does not require the use of a bone graft prior to placing the dental implants.

Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease is a condition that causes inflammation of the gingival tissues and membrane of the teeth, leading to tooth loss without professional treatment.

Resin/Acrylic

Resin and Acrylic are resinous materials that can be components in a denture base.

Clasp

A clasp is a device that holds a removable partial denture prosthesis to the teeth.

Edentulous

Edentulous is a term that applies to people who do not have any teeth.

Fixed Provisional Bridge

A fixed provisional bridge is a dental bridge that a dentist cements in place for a temporary amount of time to see if it works properly before making the bridge permanent.

Full Arch Treatment

Full arch treatment is the treatment process of replacing an entire arch of missing teeth and ensuring that everything fits properly.

Nobel Biocare

Nobel Biocare is a company that manufactures dental implants and continues to innovate the market with new products and designs.

Stomatitis

A resin bonded bridge is a dental bridge that professionals fix to the surrounding t teeth with a type of resin to provide patients with a long-lasting solution.

Pontic

Pontic is another term for an artificial tooth on a fixed partial denture.

Helpful Related Links

About our business, license, and website security

  • Lafayette Dental Implant Center was established in 2004.
  • We accept the following payment methods: American Express, Cash, Check, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa
  • We serve patients from the following counties: Alameda County, San Francisco County, Contra Costa County, San Mateo County and Marin County
  • We serve patients from the following cities: Lafayette, San Francisco, San Mateo, Berkeley, Richmond, San Rafael, Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward and Walnut Creek
  • CA (License #52426). View License Information and Specifics
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