Superior Restoration with an Implant-Supported Crown
Losing a tooth as an adult can be incredibly frustrating. Having a gap in your smile can affect your confidence as well as your oral and general health. At The Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Center of Santa Fe, we educate patients on the importance of replacing lost and extracted teeth. Dr. Sean Healy, Dr. Diego Hurtado, and our team can discuss your single tooth replacement options at our Santa Fe, NM, practice to help you decide between an implant-supported crown and a traditional bridge. If you choose to invest in the superior strength and stability of an implant-supported crown, we can coordinate with your general dentist to provide completely streamlined care.
What Is an Implant-Supported Crown?
This type of dental crown is attached to a small titanium post embedded into your jawbone. The implant acts as an artificial tooth root and provides unrivaled stability for your crown. This restoration has three distinct parts: the post itself, a small connector piece called an abutment, and the dental crown.
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Comparing Your Options
In the past, the only solution for a single missing tooth was a dental bridge. This type of restoration consists of an artificial tooth supported by two crowns placed over the teeth on either side of the gap. In order to place a bridge, the natural teeth have to be reshaped.
Choosing an implant-supported crown over a traditional bridge can protect your bone health and minimize the risk of further tooth loss.
Compared to traditional bridges, implant-supported crowns offer a range of benefits:
- Improved oral health: Since the implant acts as an artificial tooth root, an implant-supported crown stimulates your jaw and prevents tissue from atrophying. With a bridge, you can still experience jawbone degeneration which can lead to further tooth loss.
- Realistic and aesthetic results: Implant-supported crowns more accurately mimic the appearance of natural teeth for more aesthetic effects.
- Protection of healthy teeth: With an implant-supported crown, your dentist does not have to remove healthy tissue from neighboring teeth, meaning these teeth maintain their strength.
- Lasting support: When placed by an experienced oral surgeon and cared for properly, dental implants can last a lifetime. Implant-supported crowns also tend to last longer than traditional bridges, meaning fewer replacements over time.
For qualifying patients, implant-supported crowns are the gold standard of single tooth replacement options. However, it is important to fully discuss your options with both your general dentist and Dr. Healy or Dr. Hurtado to ensure an implant-supported crown is the right treatment for your unique needs.
Why Choose Us?
The surgeons at The Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Center of Santa Fe have extensive experience placing dental implants and have undergone more rigorous training than dentists who offer the same procedures. We use Nobel Biocare implants, a world-renowned provider of safe, biocompatible products.
In addition, we employ advanced X-Guide™ technology to digitally plan and perform dental implant surgery. With this device, we can use computerized tomography (CT) scans to control every aspect of planning for safer treatment and more accurate results.
Lasting Support for Your Smile
Even a single missing tooth can make your smile vulnerable to a range of more serious oral health concerns, which is why it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible. For more information about the benefits of implant-supported crowns or to schedule a consultation, contact our office online or call (505) 984-0694 today.
