Category: Dental Implants

As we all know, tooth decay is a major health problem that millions of people deal with every single day. While we know that we need to brush our teeth daily and floss on a regular basis, not everyone knows exactly how tooth decay really works or the extent of the impact that our diet has on our overall dental health.

For instance, did you know that starchy foods with high amounts of carbohydrates can be bad for your teeth? Or did you know that the bacteria that cause bad breath thrive in a highly acidic environment that has a pH around 3.0?

This infographic, provided by Best Medical Degrees, clarifies which foods are harmful and advance tooth decay, and what we can do to diminish damage to our teeth.

If you have any questions about your dental health or if you would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact our team or make an appointment. Our incredible staff will give you the best dental care possible.

There is a host of factors that can help us maintain good oral and dental health, from eating to drinking the right foods, flossing, brushing, and scheduling routine cleanings. However, sometimes there are factors outside the norm that have a big impact on our health, such as accidents or illnesses that arise. The introduction of medications can have a big effect on how we maintain our oral health.

According to a survey published by the American Medical Association, “within an 18-month period, more than 80 percent of adults in the United States took at least one medication in the week before the survey was conducted. Twenty-five percent took at least five medications.” This means that we need to address the implications of medications with each of our patients in order to provide the best treatment and dental health maintenance plan we can.

The most common adverse oral health effects that can occur from the use of medications is xerostomia. also known as dry mouth. Since saliva is incredibly important for breaking down food and keeping our mouths clean, dry mouth can be a significant problem. Dry mouth can cause more plaque formation and acid erosion in patients.

Other common problems that arise from the use of medications is bleeding during surgical procedures or periodontal treatments. As always, it’s important to disclose any and all medications, herbs, and supplements with your dentist before you engage in any treatments.

If you have any questions about your dental health or if you would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact our team or make an appointment. Our incredible staff will give you the best dental care possible.

While dental implants are often an excellent treatment option for patients, some may wonder whether any general dentist can give them dental implants. Dental implants are a highly specialized treatment that requires a very skilled and knowledgeable dentist with many years of experience. Though very safe for patients, the treatment is advanced and complex in nature, so choosing the right dentist is very important. That said, we believe our staff offers one of the best offices in San Diego for dental implant procedures. To be certain, we’re only one of a few offices in our area that has been offering dental implants with the same doctor in the same office for over a decade.

Why should you choose Dr. Niakiani:

Dr. Niakiani spent three years after dental school studying advanced periodontal treatment options, including guided tissue and bone regeneration, dental implants, periodontal plastic surgery, and more. She also has extensive experience offering patients quality dental implant treatments, and a variety of testimonials to back her up.

Resources:

Dr. Niakiani maintains one of the most extensive dental websites in the San Diego area, offering patients a Patient Education Center and regular content to help educate patients about their oral health and treatment options. When patients stop in to see the staff, the team is helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly.

Dr. Niakiani’s Bio:

Dr. Roya Niakiani is a specialist in periodontics, with an emphasis on implant dentistry. After earning her D.M.D. in 1994 and performing a residency at the Veterans Administration hospital in Loma Linda, Dr. Niakiani completed three years of postdoctoral periodontic studies at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston. There she gained extensive experience in guided tissue and bone regeneration, mucogingival periodontal plastic surgery, implantology, osseous surgery and oral pathology. Before pursuing her education in dentistry and periodontics, Dr. Niakiani received a Bachelor of Science in biology and minor in psychology from the University of California, San Diego.

In the end, any patient receiving dental implants should be careful about choosing the right dentist and should select a dentist with many years of successful experience and the right staff and tools to perform the procedure safely and effectively.

Over the last decade plus, we have become a leader in cosmetic dentistry and have successfully placed dental implants for scores of patients. During this time we have stressed the importance of making sure that our patients are fully educated about all aspects of each procedure. This dedication ensures that patient outcomes are more positive and that patient comfort is maximized. If we’re placing a dental implant in your mouth, we think you should know what we’re putting inside your body. After all, our hope is that this implant will be a permanent fixture of your teeth for decades to come.

There are three main parts to a dental implant:

1. The Fixture

The fixture is the bottom of the implant and is the part that is physically embedded below the gum line, fusing with the jawbone to become a permanent part of your smile. The fixture is made of titanium and has a cylindrical, screw-shaped design. The fixture is often coated with a material known as hydroxyapatite, which can assist with the osseointegration (fusion) process.

2. The Abutment

The abutment is the small portion that lies right around the gum line. Once the osseointegration (fusion) process has been completed, the abutment is screwed into the fixture and will eventually hold the dental work that becomes part of your smile.

3. The Prosthesis

The prosthesis is the dental work that is done on top of the abutment, such as a crown, bridge, or denture. This piece is cemented or screwed into the abutment if the prosthesis is a crown or bridge, or snapped onto the abutment if the prosthesis is a denture.

Dental implants are designed and constructed to be extremely strong and able to last decades, becoming a permanent fix for missing or chipped teeth and giving you back the smile you want.

If you have any questions about Dental Implants or if you would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact our team or make an appointment. Our incredible staff will give you the best dental care possible.

Dental implants are an incredible advancement for the treatment of missing, cracked, or highly damaged teeth. However, no treatment in medicine or dentistry is without risks. One of the rare problems associated with dental implants is known as peri-implantitis. Peri-implantitis is an “infectious disease that causes an inflammatory process in soft tissues, and bone loss around an osseointegrated implant in function.” Dental implant success rates are incredibly high, but when there are problems, they are usually associated with abnormal amounts of bacteria around the implant.

While the vast majority of patients never develop peri-implantitis, there are a few signs that a problem is occurring. Patients with peri-implantitis experience deeper pockets around the gums, including bleeding and pus, or possibly a reddish/purple hue around the gumline. However, during the onset of the disease, patients often don’t even experience or notice any pain, which means that it is essential to continue to see a dentist on a regular basis for checkups.

Treatment for peri-implantitis begins with detailed x-rays to diagnose the problem. X-rays are extremely helpful in identifying improper cement, loose abutment screws, or other potential issues with the placement of the dental implant. The ultimate treatment goal is to stop the bone loss and to keep the implant intact. Antibiotics are often used to stop bacterial growth, and some patients require bone grafting and minor surgery.

The best way for patients to keep peri-implantitis at bay is to practice exquisite oral hygiene and to stop smoking, as smoking is a huge risk factor for the disease.

If you have any questions about dental implants or if you would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact our team or make an appointment. Our incredible staff will give you the best dental care possible.

One of the most important and most questioned procedures that our team performs is dental implants. The treatment is extremely powerful and can restore smiles back to beautiful in dramatic ways. Our patients have testified to this over and over again.  However, there remains a large number of questions that our patients have before, during, and after the treatment. Our goal here is to try and catalog these questions and to direct patients to posts that we’ve written about each question. We’ll update this as time goes by in order to keep a living library of questions and answers for you.

What are the benefits of dental implants?

Dental implants are a permanent solution that protects your existing healthy bone. Furthermore, dental implants won’t get cavities.

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How much do dental implants cost?

This is an impossible question to answer online, due to the wide variety of factors that we consider when designing a treatment plan. The best answer that we can give you before an appointment is the of prices across the nation, which is currently $4,250 for the dental implant itself.

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How long do dental implants last?

According to Osseo News, dental implants have a success rate of 95%, and the first dental implant treatment ever performed, way back in 1965, lasted 40 years.

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What can I eat after getting dental implants?

While dental implants may seem intimidating, there is a wide variety of foods that you can enjoy after the procedure, including soup, oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, noodles, and so much more.

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What are dental implants made of?

Dental implants are typically made of titanium, a biocompatible material that is accepted by the body and serves as a strong and sturdy foundation for replacement teeth.

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We’ll continue to add to this list of frequently asked questions as they arise in our office with our patients.

If you have any lingering questions about dental implants or if you would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact our team or make an appointment. Our incredible staff will give you the best dental care possible.

Once you have dental implants, you’ll receive a brand new smile that will last for decades, giving you extra confidence and enhanced dental health. However, there is still maintenance required to ensure that your dental implants last for as long as possible.

Neglecting proper care of your dental implants can result in two main problems:

1. Mucositis: the inflammation of the gums

2. Peri-implantitis: inflammation around the implant with loss of bone. This can be compared to periodontitis and can lead to the break down of your jaw bone.

Here are a few tips to help you maximize the lifespan of your implants:

1. Maintain regular dental visits every three to six months to receive routine examinations of your implants, particularly for Mucositis and peri-implantitis.

2. Carefully clean your mouth as you normally do by brushing twice each day, flossing every night, and using mouthwash regularly. 

3. Stop smoking immediately, as smoking is one of the greatest risk factors for implant-related problems, according to Colgate. 

If you follow these guidelines, you should enjoy your dental implants for a very long time and smile with confidence whenever you please.

If you have any questions about your dental implant care or if you would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact our team or make an appointment. Our incredible staff will give you the best dental care possible.

It can happen to anyone. You get hit in the mouth by a heavy object, trip and fall while running, or suffer an accident and break your tooth. While teeth are one of the strongest substances in the world, they can still fracture, and our job is to restore your smile back to beautiful again.

Even though you may not feel pain, a broken tooth, with its jagged ridges, is extremely noticeable, both by touch and by sight. If you break your tooth we recommend taking these steps:

1. Call a dentist immediately. You could have a damaged nerve or blood vessel as a result of the fracture, and we’ll be able to ensure that there aren’t any major health concerns. 

2. Collect any broken bits of the tooth that you can find and bring them into our office with you. 

3. Rinse your mouth with warm water and apply constant pressure to the fracture if your mouth is bleeding. 

4. Apply ice or a cold pack to your mouth to reduce potential swelling. 

5. If you’re unable to get into our office right away, you can purchase dental cement to cover the part of your tooth that is still in your mouth. 

6. Once you get to our office, we’ll take a closer look to see if your nerve is in danger. If it is, we’ll perform a root canal. 

7. We’ll offer you a treatment plan, such as dental implants, to restore your smile and bring you back to health again. 

Breaking a tooth doesn’t have to be an embarrassment. We can give you the comfort, support, and treatment you need to smile confidently again.

Did you just break a tooth? If you have any questions or if you would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact our team or make an appointment. Our incredible staff will give you the best dental care possible.

You’re right. Dental implants are a significant commitment, both financially and medically. Although we have witnessed success rates from 93-95%, we understand that there may be anxiety around any procedure of this nature. However, dental implants may really be the best treatment option for a wide variety of patients suffering from a diverse set of dental health symptoms. According to the Mayo Clinic, the best candidates for dental implants include people with the following characteristics:

– Have one or more missing teeth

– Have a jawbone that’s reached full growth

– Have an adequate amount of bone to secure the implants or are able to have a bone graft

– Have healthy oral tissues

– Don’t have health conditions that will affect bone healing

– Are unable or unwilling to wear dentures

– Want to improve your speech

– Are willing to commit several months to the process

Furthermore, if you have missing teeth, you could face significant consequences if you delay the treatment, including the loss of jaw bone, premature wearing of other teeth, and gum recession and bone loss in adjacent teeth.

If you have any questions about our dental implant treatments or would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact our team or make an appointment and our incredible staff will give you the best dental care possible.

Dental implants are often an excellent option for patients with chipped, missing, or heavily decayed teeth. The implants themselves are tiny titanium objects placed into the jawbone where teeth are missing. The jawbone bonds with the titanium, creating a strong foundation for the new tooth. They are the go-to permanent solution for missing teeth, and they can last a lifetime if cared for properly.

The Sinus Lift procedure is undertaken when the bone barrier between your teeth and the maxillary sinuses, located behind your cheeks and above your upper teeth, is too thin. Dental implants need bone to hold them in place. It is not possible to place dental implants in this bone if it is too thin.

During a sinus lift (also known as a sinus lift graft) a surgeon inserts bone into the floor of the sinus. After several months of healing, the bone becomes part of the patient’s jaw and dental implants can be inserted and stabilized in this new sinus bone.

Sometimes, the implants can be implanted in the same procedure. Sinus grafts now make it possible for many patients to have dental implants when, years ago, there was no other option besides wearing loose dentures.

Our dental team can perform both a sinus lift and subsequently place a dental implant for you. If you have any questions about a sinus lift or dental implants, or if you would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact our team or make an appointment. Our incredible staff will give you the best dental care possible.