Dental Implants – Corpus Christi, TX

What are Dental Implants?

When you hear the words “tooth replacement”, a dental implant may not be the first thing that pops into your head. By itself, a dental implant is just a small metal screwlike object. It’s actually what is used to support a dental prosthetic such as a crown. In order for an implant to be successful, it needs to be surgically inserted into the jaw. Once there, a process called osseointegration lets it join with the surrounding tissue.

Benefits of Dental Implants

The biggest advantage of dental implants is the addition of new tooth roots. Without natural teeth, the body will conclude that the bone around the empty space is no longer needed and will start to resorb nutrients from the area, causing the jaw to break down. This causes the nearby teeth to move and can lead to a more “sunken” appearance. But with dental implants, your new teeth will actively work to keep the underlying bone strong and healthy.

Other advantages of implants include:

• New teeth that have close to the full chewing power of your old ones.
• A form of tooth replacement that can last for a lifetime – far longer than traditional dentures.
• Stable posts that ensure that your new teeth will not slip at the wrong moment.
• An easy-to-maintain restoration that can be brushed and flossed as if it were a real tooth.
• Implant bridges that don’t require us to remove enamel from your remaining teeth.

Are Dental Implants Right for You?

By examining your mouth carefully and taking X-rays as needed, Dr. Kerr can determine whether or not you’re a good candidate for dental implants. Depending on the state of your mouth, bone grafts or periodontal therapy might be needed first. Also, the consultation is the point where we can figure out what kind of implant treatment you need.

Missing Single Tooth

An implant post can support a single dental crown by itself. It’s a good alternative to a dental bridge if you don’t want to make any permanent alterations to your remaining teeth. There is typically a wait of a few months between receiving a dental implant and having a crown placed.

Missing Multiple Teeth

Dental implants are versatile enough that they can replace multiple teeth at once with a minimal number of posts. In other words, you don’t always have to get a separate post for each tooth! For example, if three or four teeth in a row are gone, a dental bridge can be adequately supported by just two dental implants.

Missing All Teeth

Anyone who’s dissatisfied with their dentures might want to think about upgrading them with dental implants. Doing so will give your prosthetic teeth more biting strength, and they’ll be guaranteed to remain in place without you having to mess with denture adhesive. Implant dentures usually require around four to six posts.

Partners with Local Specialist in Nueces County

Placing dental implants is a team effort. Dr. Kerr will work alongside a local specialist to make sure that the entire process goes as smoothly as possible. With the specialist’s help, the implants will be expertly placed in your mouth. After osseointegration is complete, you’ll be called back to Dr. Kerr’s practice. At this point, it will be possible for us to place a dental restoration that has been customized with your unique needs in mind.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants

A dental implant restoration, as you might expect, is typically more costly than a traditional one, and the final price will vary depending on how many individual posts are needed and what additional steps are necessary during the process. But dental implants do tend to save you money over the long term. Unlike other restorations that need to be redone every 10 years or so, you can keep implants for decades or even a lifetime.