What Are Dental Implants Used For?

Posted on (not posted yet) by San Tan Oral Surgery

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Dental implants are the standard treatment for missing teeth or gaps between your teeth. Dental implants are considered the best option because they help maintain the integrity of your jawbone allowing for better overall dental health. They function, feel and look just like your natural teeth and may last for years and in some cases a lifetime. Implants can be used to replace one tooth, several teeth or to anchor dentures.

What Are Dental Implants?

Just as the name implies, an artificial root that is usually a titanium post or plate is implanted into the jawbone. Over the course of several weeks, the bone is stimulated to grow around the artificial root and hold it securely in place in the same way it does natural roots. Once the post is firm, the gum will also grow around it. There is an abutment on the top of the post where the artificial tooth or crown is fixed.

There are many reasons you may have missing teeth starting with an injury. A sports injury or automobile accident may have resulted in lost teeth. Tooth decay and gum disease are other reasons you may lose teeth. You may consider dental implants if you:

•	Are embarrassed when you smile because of missing teeth
•	Wear dentures that hurt or shift in your mouth when you eat and speak
•	Are tired of wearing a removable bridge or partial denture
•	Need treatment to strengthen your jawbone
•	Need to keep your other teeth intact

Ordinary bridges and some partial dentures require anchoring to the teeth on either side. This means those healthy teeth need to be cut, severely weakening them. When the bridge or partial denture needs to be replaced after five to 10 years, the other teeth need to be cut again. Since the implant is anchored by the bone, there is no damage to healthy teeth.

Maintain Jawbone Integrity

When you chew, you exercise your jawbone strengthening it in the same way your bones get strengthened when you exercise. If you have a gap between your teeth or a missing tooth, the bone at that site does not get exercise and will gradually deteriorate. This can result in gum disease and allow teeth to shift position creating overcrowded and crooked teeth. Lost jawbone may also make you look older than you are because your cheek may start to sag into the empty space.

When you have your teeth examined by our specialist, you may ask questions about dental implants and learn if they are a good option for your missing teeth. If you lack the bone structure to hold an implant, you may receive a bone graft to make it possible. You can forget the inconvenience of shifting dentures, removable bridges and damaged healthy teeth. Smile, eat and speak without fear of embarrassment when you get dental implants at San Tan Oral Surgery At our office in Gilbert, AZ, our team of caring professionals are eager to give you a smile you love to bare. Contact us today to schedule your consultation!

About
Dr. Cynthia Colson

Dr. Colson grew up in the Metro area, attending Camelback High School and ASU. She graduated from the University of Kentucky Dental School and completed her residency at Long Island Jewish Hospital in Long Island, New York. She also attended an anesthesia fellowship program at the University of Illinois at Chicago and has traveled with Healing The Children, a non-profit organization, to Bucarumanga Columbia treating patients with cleft lip and palate deformities.
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What our patients are saying about us

"Dr. Colson is amazing! She explained everything thoroughly without sounding condescending and gently but directly guides you through the whole procedure. She is excellent and super experienced. I got my wisdom teeth pulled (3 partially impacted and one simply extracted) and aside from asking too many questions under laughing gas before the general anesthesia knocked me out, I got no complications and have had essentially no pain at all." – Ana D.

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Office hours

Mon - Thur: 8am to 5:00pm
Friday: 8am to 2:00pm

Location

3303 S. Lindsay Rd.
Suite 112
Gilbert, AZ 85297

Contact

Office: (480) 604-2592

Connect

Santanxray@gmail.com

About Us | Dental Implants Gilbert, AZ | San Tan Oral Surgery
If you have recently been told you need oral surgery, you have come to the right place. Call San Tan Oral Surgery to schedule your initial consultation today!
San Tan Oral Surgery, 3303 S. Lindsay Rd. Suite 112, Gilbert, AZ 85297-2100 ~ (480) 604-2592 ~ santanoralsurgery.com ~ 2/5/2026 ~ Tags: Dental Implants Gilbert AZ ~