Category: Dental Implant

If you need to replace missing teeth, you may want to consider our San Diego dental implants. These life-changing restorations give you the look and feel of natural teeth. Fifth Avenue Dental Arts has helped many San Diego residents discover all the benefits of dental implants and why they’re the choice option for smile reconstruction.

If you’re on the fence about restoring your smile, replacing missing teeth, or upgrading from dentures and partials, keep reading to see why our patients love dental implants so much.

Why Choose Dental Implants?

Missing teeth affect our self-esteem and can cause difficulty speaking or eating. For many years, people relied on removable dentures to replace their missing teeth. However, these prosthetics can be cumbersome and sometimes uncomfortable to wear. They also affect eating and speech patterns.

These days, you have more options for replacing teeth, including dental implants. Durable dental implants are permanent restorations that give you the functionality of natural teeth.

Here are five reasons to choose them over other types of reconstruction options:

1.  Preserves Your Facial Structure and Youthfulness

Our jaws place a vital role in helping us chew and speak. However, the jawbone requires recurring stimulation to keep it healthy. As you lose teeth, the bone receives less and less stimulation. Eventually, the bone can degrade due to tooth loss. As the bone deteriorates, your speech, chewing abilities, and even your appearance may change. Your lips and cheeks can look sunken-in, making you appear older than you really are.

Fortunately, implants fuse with the jaw to keep it stimulated. Each implant acts as an artificial tooth root, completely fusing with the bone through a process called osseointegration. They also support your soft tissues for a fuller and healthier looking facial profile.

2. Easy to Maintain

You likely know someone with dentures or have at least seen them on TV. Cleaning dentures isn’t an easy process, especially for people with mobility concerns. You have to remove them, brush them, wash away any adhesive, and then soak them overnight.

Luckily, maintaining dental implants is much simpler. All you have to do is brush and floss as you do with natural teeth. The only thing you have to remember is to use non-abrasive toothpaste and something like a water flosser to clean under implant bridges or All-on-4 treatments. There is nothing to remove at night, as your new “teeth” are permanent.

3. Enhanced Comfort

Many of our San Diego dental implant patients choose implants because they feel more natural than options like dentures.

First, dental implants are permanent, so you never have to think twice about wearing them. In fact, many people forget they even have new teeth because they seem so natural. You won’t experience this level of comfort or confidence with dentures, which can sometimes move or slip when speaking and chewing.

Second, implants feel like natural teeth. Dentures can sometimes rub against your gums and cheeks, causing irritation and sores. You’ll never get that with implants since they attach directly to the jaw and sit perfectly along the gumline.

4. A Long-lasting Solution

Your new dental implant fuses permanently with the bone structure that supports it. This artificial “tooth root” is incredibly durable and can last for a lifetime with proper care. The integrity of implants makes them physically stronger than natural teeth, so there aren’t any dietary restrictions like with wearing partials.

Since dental implants are so strong, we can use fewer of them to anchor multi-tooth or full-arch restorations. In fact, as few as 4-6 implants total can support a full-arch hybrid appliance.

5. Custom-fit for You

We’ve established a reputation for delivering dental implants San Diego residents love. Our team works hard to ensure the shape, size, and color of each tooth are perfect for you. Your new teeth will blend in with your natural ones, so you can smile with confidence wherever you go.

Even better, nobody will even notice anything different about your new teeth. And if you tell them, they will hardly be able to tell the difference between your natural teeth and your implants.

Schedule An Appointment

Now that you know more about the benefits of dental implants, what’s holding you back? Call Fifth Avenue Dental Arts today to schedule a consultation with our San Diego dentists.

Water flossing is a great alternative for anyone who dislikes or has trouble using traditional floss. Like conventional floss, a water flosser cleans areas that you can’t reach with a toothbrush. Such as between teeth, around fixed bridges and implants, or just below the gumlines. Our dentist in downtown San Diego recommends using a water flosser on a daily basis to keep your teeth, gums, and dental implants healthy.

What is a Water Flosser?

Water flossers are powered oral care devices that spray a thin, steady stream of water. When aimed toward your teeth and gums, the pressurized stream flushes away food debris and dental plaque from hard-to-reach areas.

Depending on the type of water flosser that you buy, you may be able to adjust the pressure or even change out the various tips. Some even have special designs that make them ideal for cleaning around dental bridges and braces.

There are various types of water flossers on the market. Some attach directly to your bathroom faucet, while others are portable. And then there are countertop versions with their own reservoir. You can even find models that attach to your shower head.

How to Use a Water Flosser

Start Gently: Getting used to using a water flosser can take a bit of practice. At first, your gums might even feel a bit ticklish. As you get used to the stream of water, you can increase the pressure (if applicable) to a comfortable level.

Trace Your Gumlines: Use the tip of your water flosser to slowly trace the edges of the gums, next to every tooth and dental implant. If you have any fixed bridges or implant dentures, take your time to flush the areas underneath the restoration next to your gums.

Pause Between Each Tooth: Each time you reach where two teeth touch, pause for a moment and spend a little extra time at that space, tracing the water flosser up and down and perhaps even angling it a bit more into the gums against each tooth (if you have gum disease.)

Repeat Daily: Like traditional floss, water flossing should be performed at least once a day. The goal is to remove soft dental plaque before it calcifies into tartar. As always, brushing and/or mouthwash does not replace the need for flossing. If those areas aren’t being cleaned with a water flosser or traditional floss, they aren’t being cleaned at all.

Don’t Close Your Mouth: The first few times you use a water flosser will be a little messy. For best results, lean over the sink looking straight down, and keep your mouth open, so that the water can pour out and go straight into the drain. If you’re tempted to look up in the mirror, you might have a bit of clean-up to do.

“Should I Buy a Water Flosser?”

There are several reasons why it may be a good idea to invest in a water flosser (for dental implants or natural teeth.) Such as:

• Dislike for traditional floss
• Trouble using a floss threader
• Multiple dental implants
• Deep periodontal pockets
• Sensitive or tender gums

Water flossers can safely clean down below the gumlines, sometimes making them more effective than using traditional floss. Especially if you have gum disease or recently been treated for a periodontal infection.

If you don’t floss because of how tedious it is, investing in a water flosser could make your oral hygiene routine more effective. Most of our patients who use a water flosser each day have noticeably healthier gums at their dental checkups.

Get a Professional Opinion

Are you due for a checkup? Schedule your next cleaning to talk one-on-one with our dentist or hygienist about the best oral hygiene tools for your smile. Contact Fifth Avenue Dental Arts today for your next exam, cleaning, or dental implants in downtown San Diego.

Tooth decay symptoms can often be difficult to spot. While most people wait for a painful toothache to develop, other warning signs may be less obvious. But the best tooth decay treatment calls for early intervention, which is why it’s crucial to recognize tooth decay symptoms as early as possible.

If you’re in-between dental checkups but have concerns about possible tooth decay/cavity sensations, here are some things to look out for:

Sensitivity to Sweet Drinks or Food

The biggest red flag for tooth decay is having a tooth that’s sensitive to anything sweet. Not necessarily candy, but rather items with sugar or artificial sweeteners in it. So, if you’re drinking sweet tea, diet soda, or coffee with your favorite creamer, and you feel a sharp jolting sensation, you likely need tooth decay treatment.

Don’t wait for sweet sensitivity to be consistent or go away on its own. Once it’s there, it needs to be evaluated at your earliest opportunity. Waiting too long to address a cavity will only allow it to spread into adjacent areas and become more difficult to address.

Discomfort When You Bite Down or Chew

Pain when you bite down doesn’t always mean you need tooth decay treatment, but it does indicate that there’s something wrong. When you bite or chew and notice discomfort, be sure to let our Downtown San Diego dentist know. It could be a cavity, crack, abscess, gum disease, or something else. You may not be able to pinpoint the exact tooth that the symptoms are coming from, but you’ll at least be able to tell what part of your mouth is affected.

Floss Shredding or Breaking

The texture of your enamel changes when you begin to develop tooth decay. Cavity margins are rough—or even sharp at times—as the decay ruptures through the outermost layer of your enamel. This decay process can create a jagged edge around the cavity. When you floss between your teeth, you might notice that it starts to shred or even breaks apart at the same location every time you use it.

Until you come in to have the cavity filled, consider switching to something like a water flosser. These oral hygiene devices are great for hard-to-floss areas like between teeth and around fixed dental work.

Food Getting Caught Between Your Teeth

Tooth decay causes physical holes inside of your teeth, hence the term “cavities.” The larger a cavity is, the more space there is for food to pack inside of whenever you eat. You might notice that during meals there’s an area that always tends to collect food. If you’re reaching straight for a floss pick, bring that area to our attention during your next dental exam.

Irritated Gums

If you have a cavity between your teeth or along the gumlines, the bacterial infection doesn’t just affect your tooth. Your gums may also become a bit irritated. If bacteria, acids, or food debris is consistently building up in the same area because there’s a cavity, you’ll probably see that the gums around that tooth are also swollen and irritated.

Tooth Decay Treatment in Downtown San Diego

At Fifth Avenue Dental Arts, we recommend routine six-month checkups and exams so that tooth decay symptoms can be intercepted as early as possible. By providing earlier tooth decay treatment, your restorations will be more conservative to both your smile and wallet alike. But most importantly, treating infections early keeps them from spreading into the nerve or adjacent teeth.

Cavities don’t improve over time. They will only evolve into more complex conditions, requiring more advanced care to correct.

If you think you could have tooth decay/cavity symptoms, contact our Downtown San Diego dentist today to reserve an exam. Our minimally invasive white fillings are the best option for combatting small cavities.

Dental implants are changing the way people live. Millions of Americans are missing teeth and replacement with implants are becoming one of the most popular ways to restore a smile with confidence. Dental implants not only restore function and feel like natural teeth, but offer the most aesthetic solution of all dental restorations. Whether you are missing a single tooth, an entire arch, or all of your teeth, dental implants are the greatest comprehensive replacement for your natural teeth.

Many patients may opt for a removable denture or complete denture as a stepping stone to dental implants after one or more natural teeth are removed. More often than not, patients return requesting implants because they are the closest treatment option to your actual teeth. They look, feel, and function as though you never lost a tooth. Here are ten reasons to consider dental implants if you are missing one or more teeth.

1. Natural looking restoration

There is no better aesthetic restoration than a dental implant. When a titanium screw osseointegrates into the jaw bone, it acts as a root and a crown will sit on top. The custom crown looks and feels just like a natural tooth. Dental implants in Downtown San Diego offer the finest laboratories to create a personalized crown with porcelain or zirconia that you won’t be able to tell what is lab made and what is an actual tooth.

2. Long-lasting

Dental implants have a long-term success of around 95%. This means you have decades and decades with your new tooth without worrying you will need a replacement. Implants are the only true permanent dental solution compared to removable dentures or dental bridges that may need replacement in the future.

3. Improved function

Anyone with a loose denture understands how important it is to have a dental prosthetic that is stable and firm. Dental implants improve your function to eat, speak, and laugh without the worry of a denture slipping. No more denture adhesive. No more eating issues. No more speech problems. Dental implants will immediately feel like your natural tooth to improve your overall and dental health.

4. Cavity resistant

If you are missing teeth, there is a good chance the cause was from tooth decay. Dental implants are fabricated from biocompatible materials and are artificial, making them cavity resistant. You will still need to care for your implants like natural teeth by brushing regularly and attending routine dental visits to ensure your implant success

5. Low maintenance

You need to care for your dental implants like natural teeth by brushing and flossing, but there is much less maintenance than caring for dentures. Dentures require daily cleaning, denture adhesive, repairs and relines, and adjustments. Dental implants are permanent and rarely cause any issues once completed.

6. Preserves jawbone

When you are missing teeth, your jaw bone recedes, which is why denture fit can change over time and cause them to become loose. With a dental implant, it fuses to your natural bone leading to continuous stimulation of bone cells and prevents deterioration. Dental implants leave your jawbone more stable and less susceptible to fractures and injury.

7.Maintains facial aesthetics

When you replace missing teeth with dental implants it helps build bone, preserve your jawbone shape, and maintain a youthful appearance. This is why you may notice a sunken face or older appearance for younger people with missing teeth. Dental implants can prevent an aged appearance and preserve your younger looks.

8. Safer for your natural teeth

Missing teeth is like a domino effect. When you lose one, it causes others to shift and supra-erupt. This condition leaves you with more long-term dental problems that can be costly and uncomfortable. If you choose to get a dental bridge, it usually requires two healthy adjacent teeth to be shaved down for crown anchors. Dental implants prevent shifting and any damage to adjacent teeth.

9. Improves your confidence

There is no better accessory than your smile and a full, bright smile can impact your relationships and career. Dental implants can replace a front tooth and drastically change someone’s quality of life. You will no longer feel self-conscious when smiling or laughing now that you can comfortably eat, drink, and laugh with a permanent, natural tooth.

10. Cost-effective

Dental implants are a major investment into your dental health. However, when you consider long-term costs of denture repairs and replacements or replacing a dental bridge, dental implants are cost effective. Many times, payment plans are offered to help make your dental implant treatment affordable and comfortable for you.

There is no greater option for the replacement of missing teeth than dental implants. Call our dental office in Downtown San Diego today to discuss how implants can improve your look and function. It is an upgrade that can drastically change your life for the good.