Our Services / Dental Implants

What are dental implants?

Dental implants replace your natural tooth roots. They’re inserted into your jaw during an outpatient procedure and integrate with your jaw over time. Once the implants fuse with your bone, they provide a foundation for a dental restoration, like crowns, bridges, or fixed dentures.

You don’t remove dental implants before going to bed like dentures. Instead, you brush and floss them like your natural teeth.

What are the benefits of dental implants?

Dental implants offer many benefits, including:

• Clearer speech
• Easier biting and chewing
• Convenience
• Durability
• Comfort

Getting dental implants can also improve your oral health. By replacing gaps in your smile, you can reduce the risk of more serious issues like gum recession or healthy teeth moving out of position.

Can anyone get dental implants?

To receive dental implants, you need a healthy jaw to support them and healthy gum tissue. If your Tukwila Dental Smiles provider determines you have gum disease or low jaw bone volume, they might recommend a prerequisite treatment like scaling and root planing or a bone graft before moving forward.

Let the team know if you have an underlying condition like heart disease or diabetes. These issues won’t stop you from getting implants, but they may increase the risk of post-surgical complications.

What does getting dental implants involve?

At Tukwila Dental Smiles, getting dental implants takes at least three visits.

First dental implant visit

If you qualify for dental implants, your provider numbs your mouth and inserts them into your jaw. Following the placement procedure, your provider writes you a prescription for pain medication and provides care instructions.

Second dental implant visit

A few months later, when the implants finish integrating with your bone, you return to Tukwila Dental Smiles. Your provider takes impressions of your mouth and sends them to a dental laboratory that creates your custom dental restoration.

Third dental implant visit

When the lab completes your crown, bridge, or fixed dentures, your visit Tukwila Dental Smiles for the last time. Finally, your provider attaches the restorations to your implants and assesses your bite. You leave with a beautiful, fully functional smile.

To see if you can benefit from dental implants, make an appointment at Tukwila Dental Smiles by calling the office or clicking the online booking feature today.