Restore Your Smile with Quality Dental Implant in Santa Maria

Dental implants are an excellent way to permanently replace missing teeth. Dr. Riforgiate offers custom dental implant restorations at his Santa Maria dental practice.

CALL US: (805) 925-1781 REQUEST APPOINTMENT

Replace Missing Teeth Completely

Replacing missing teeth is essential in preserving oral health and quality of life. Missing teeth complicate normal function and can change eating habits and speaking patterns. It’s best to replace missing teeth quickly and completely. Dental implants are the most comprehensive tooth replacement option because they replace the tooth’s root as well as the visible crown. Dental implants can support a variety of restorations, including:

Single-unit crowns – to replace a single missing tooth. Replacing your single lost tooth will preserve alignment and keep your smile healthy and beautiful.

Implant-supported bridges – to replace up to an entire quadrant of missing teeth. Using up to three implants, a supported bridge offers an alternative, more permanent solution to a partial denture.

Removable and fixed implant-supported dentures – to replace an entire arch of missing teeth. Using anywhere from four to eight implants, our dentist can completely restore an entire smile using a reliable, lifelike prosthetic.

Dental Implants Provide Extensive Benefits

Without tooth roots, the jaw bone will atrophy and shrink. Traditional alternatives include dentures, partials, or bridges, but these options eventually lead to loss of jaw bone mass unless they’re supported by dental implants.

Implants offer a permanent solution to missing teeth, and restore strength and structure to the jaw bone. With dental implant posts to act as surrogate tooth roots, the integrity of the jawbone is preserved.

The Dental Implant Placement Process

During your initial appointment, Dr. Riforgiate will thoroughly examine your smile, take a detailed health history, and obtain X-rays and impressions.

Our skilled team will pay close attention to your jaw bone density and overall oral health, two important factors in dental implant placement and restoration. In some cases, patients may need preparatory procedures to ensure their dental implant is successful. Once dental implants are determined to be a viable option, Dr. Riforgiate will refer you to our trusted local implantologist for your procedure.

After placement, patients need time to heal and allow implant posts to fuse to the bone. Once fused, a custom-made final restoration, or crown, is then fixed to the implant with an abutment.

Dental implants can be adapted to support single and multiple tooth restorations. Implant-supported crowns, bridges, and dentures can be customized to provide the best tooth shape and size for optimal form and function.

Choose Dr. Riforgiate for Dental Implant Restorations

At the office of Anthony Riforgiate, DDS, we provide our patients with beautiful restorations and esteemed implantologist referrals. Call us today to schedule a consultation for your new smile!

Dental Impants Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does a Dental Implant Procedure Take?

Though every individual's treatment time is determined by their needs and the complexities of their situation, dental implant placement typically takes between 1-2 hours. Once placed, the healing process can take 3-6 months or longer. Before undergoing treatment, our dentist will thoroughly examine your oral health and give you a close approximation of what you can expect your treatment and healing times to be.

What Can I Eat After Dental Implant Surgery?

Immediately after dental implant placement, it's important that you only eat liquid or extremely soft foods. Within a day or two, you can begin introducing smoothies, yogurt, mashed potatoes, and other foods of similar consistency. Only after a few weeks of healing will it be safe for you to reintroduce tougher and more fibrous foods into your diet. Our dentist will give you a complete set of instructions on what to eat and when, in order to protect your new implant and promote healing.

How Soon After a Tooth Extraction Can You Have an Implant?

To allow the gums to heal after an extraction, it is usually recommended that you wait 2-3 months before having dental implant placement. Our team works with you before you receive an extraction to determine the best course of action to replace your missing tooth so that you can get back to daily life as quickly as possible.

CALL US: (805) 925-1781 REQUEST APPOINTMENT