teeth-whitening-dental-implants

Restorative dental work isn’t just about restoring function to your smile, the best restorative treatment takes the look, feel and function of your smile into account.

If you are missing a tooth the best treatment for that is implant dentistry—that is, provided you have adequate jawbone density and oral health. Without adequate jawbone density there will be nothing for the dental implant to fuse with, making implant dentistry not a viable option. The same goes with poor oral health or smoking. If you suffer from gum disease this will need to be treated prior to any restorative work. The reason being gum disease, if left untreated, can progress to an advanced form called periodontitis which can cause tooth loss.

Dental implants

If you are a suitable candidate for implant dentistry, you will eventually need to consider the appearance of your natural teeth. Implant dentistry is the placement of a dental implant and a prosthetic crown replacement: either a dental crown or bridge depending on your needs. This process takes around 3 to 6 months depending on the location of the missing tooth and the length of time it takes your jaws to heal around the implant. The part of the treatment that takes the longest is the process of osseointegration. This is where your jawbone fuses with the implant, creating a strong and sturdy tooth root replacement. The next step is the placement of an abutment which a prosthetic crown will be attached to.

Teeth whitening and implant dentistry

When it comes time to place the prosthetic crown it will be color-matched to the shade and color of your natural teeth. And it cannot be bleached. What this means is that if after the placement of the prosthetic tooth you opted for teeth whitening, the implant crown would not be affected and so it would stand out against your newly whitened teeth. To avoid this from happening you should consider the appearance of your smile and whether or not you wish to whiten your natural teeth prior to the placement of the implant crown. At Curtis Couch D.D.S in Thousand Oaks we offer a teeth whitening treatment that is safe, quick and inexpensive. Our take-home whitening kit can whiten your smile up to 8 shades in just two weeks. All you have to do is wear special custom-made splints for 3 to 4 hours a day and you’ll soon notice amazing results. Once you are happy with the shade and color of your smile we can then take impression for your implant crown. This impression will be sent off to the lab where your implant crown will be fabricated and then sent back to us. A dental implant treatment replaces a tooth like no other treatment. If you are looking for a treatment that replaces the whole tooth, and provides health benefits for your gums and jaws, please contact Curtis Couch D.D.S in Thousand Oaks. If you would like to know more about how we can help you, or to book an appointment at our Thousand Oaks practice, please contact us today.