Our Mill Valley Dentist Helps Patients Rebuild Smiles After Tooth Loss

Written by Dr. McConnell on Dec 27, 2022

When you lose a tooth, you are immediately faced with aesthetic as well as functional dental problems. What some people do not know is that these problems can actually compound and worsen over time if tooth loss is left untreated. That is why our Mill Valley dental implant dentists encourage all of our patients to seek prompt treatment for missing teeth. Keep reading to learn more about the treatments available to you.

You may already be familiar with some tried and true restorative treatments, like dentures and bridges. These prostheses are designed to sit on top of the patient’s gum tissue, and replace the visible portion of a missing tooth.

Our Mill Valley dentists craft bridges and dentures to blend with the patient’s existing smile. To that end we shape and size the replacement teeth to look natural, and to facilitate healthy dental alignment. This not only improves the aesthetic results for the patient, but it also helps the patient maintain a healthy and strong smile moving forward.

Our team also uses dental implants to replace individual teeth, and to permanently anchor larger prostheses in place. Dental implant technology involves placing a titanium screw into the patient’s jawbone tissue, in order to hold the new tooth in place. Essentially, the titanium screw serves as a replacement tooth root.

We can then place a personalized restoration on top of the implant screw, in order to build a single replacement tooth. However, our team can also use a number of strategically placed implant roots to hold dentures in place 24/7. Dental implant roots have the additional benefit of bonding with natural bone tissue. This forms a stable foundation for the patient’s replacement tooth, and it also supports adjacent bone tissue, and minimizes the patient’s risk of developing bone tissue deterioration.

Your restorative treatment process will be customized to suit your specific needs. We’ll take into account the health of your current smile, your budget, your treatment timeline, and your long-term oral health goals and post-treatment maintenance preferences.

The best way to get started is to call our Mill Valley dentists for additional information and to schedule a personal consultation. We are happy to answer any questions that you may have, and walk you through all of your treatment options.