Dentist in Albuquerque

Make Your Smile Whole Again

January 7, 2018
Dental Implants

Will 2018 be yet another year of feeling embarrassed by your smile? Of avoiding social situations, hiding from the camera, and “smiling” with your lips tightly closed?

Or are you ready to fix the gaps in your grin and face the world with confidence once again?

If you have missing teeth — even one missing tooth — there are many reasons you should come to Uptown Dental Associates to discuss your tooth-replacement options. Your appearance will improve, your self-esteem will go up, you will be able to eat and speak normally again, and

you will be doing a good thing for your dental health, preventing your other teeth from drifting into the empty space.

Call the Albuquerque, NM office of Uptown Dental Associates at (505) 219-4548 to book a consultation.

Dental Implants — Just Like Natural Teeth

If you want your replacement teeth to look just like natural teeth, function just like natural teeth, and feel just like natural teeth, you’ll want to choose dental implants.

A dental implant is a permanent replacement tooth root that’s surgically inserted into your jawbone. As it heals, it fuses with the bone, actually becoming part of your jaw. This creates a fixed foundation for replacement teeth that offers unparalleled stability and strength.

Dental implants have a host of advantages over traditional restorations.

  • Dental implants look fantastic — indistinguishable from your real teeth.
  • Because they become part of your body, dental implants feel just like natural teeth. They are completely comfortable in your mouth.
  • Dental implants are rooted in the jawbone, which means they are completely stable. There is no chance of them slipping, sliding, or falling out.
  • Dentures can make it difficult to speak clearly. With dental implants, you will be able to speak normally from day one.
  • You don’t have to be careful about what you eat with dental implants. You can eat your favorite foods without difficulty or worrying about your dentures coming out.
  • Dental implants so closely mimic your real teeth, you will have the confidence of having your real teeth. You may even forget your implants are there!
  • Dental implants help preserve jawbone health. Your biting force goes into your bone, just like with natural teeth. With bridges and dentures, the biting force goes into the gum, which can lead to jawbone deterioration.
  • With traditional bridges, the adjoining teeth must be permanently modified. With dental implants, your healthy teeth will remain intact.
  • Dental implants are durable and designed to be permanent. With proper care, they may last your lifetime.

At Uptown Dental Associates, we have several dental implant options.

  • Individual dental implants consist of a single titanium tooth root topped with a crown.
  • If you have multiple adjacent teeth missing, we can top dental implants with a fixed bridge without shaving down the healthy adjoining teeth.
  • Implant-retained dentures enable people who are missing a full arch of teeth to reap the stability and other benefits of dental implants. We affix a denture to a few strategically placed dental implants using a ball attachment.
  • Implant-supported dentures are similar to implant-retained dentures, but they use a bar attachment rather than a ball attachment.

Dentures — Better than Grandma’s

Dentures have come a long way since Grandma and Grandpa’s day. Thanks to modern materials and improved imaging and impression processes, today’s dentures are much better fitting, more comfortable to wear, and much more lifelike in appearance. They are less expensive than dental implants and an excellent option for many people.

At Uptown Dental Associates, we offer full traditional dentures for a whole arch of missing teeth, as well as partial dentures, which can fill the gap left by a few adjacent missing teeth.

Your full or partial dentures will be custom-made at a lab. But, since we don’t want you to have to go another day without a full set of teeth, we can fit you with a beautiful set of temporary dentures to wear while you wait.

Dental Bridges

An aptly named dental bridge is a restoration that spans the space left by one or more missing teeth. The bridge is anchored by the adjoining healthy teeth, which must be modified by having a small amount of enamel removed. Crowns are then fitted over these “abutment” teeth, which support one or more false teeth, called pontics, that fill in the gap.

If you live in the Albuquerque, NM area and are ready to fill the holes in your smile, call Uptown Dental Associates for a consultation at (505) 219-4548. Or reach out online with our convenient contact form.