Implant Dentist Lacey, WA

At Herbert E. Todd, DDS PLLC, we are an implant dentist office that can replace your missing teeth in a way that looks entirely natural and beautiful. If you have experienced adult tooth loss, we encourage you to call (360) 491-2532 and schedule an appointment with our Lacey, WA dental office to determine if you are a good candidate for this procedure. In the meantime, here are some questions that are commonly asked about dental implants.

Why are implants better than dentures or dental bridges?
As an implant dentist, Dr. Todd can replace both the root and tooth. When you use dentures or a dental bridge to replace teeth, they only replace the visible portion of the tooth. While an effective way to restore your smile and ability to eat and speak, this does not provide the level of stimulation that your jawbone needs to prevent resorption. Your root and tooth stimulate your jawbone every time that you bite down and chew. This informs the body that your jaw is serving its purpose by supporting your teeth. Without teeth, your body will begin to leach calcium from your jawbone to distribute to other areas of the body. The loss of bone density can give you a sunken appearance and make you appear far older than you actually are. By placing dental implants in our 98503 dental office, we can restore your lost tooth while preserving your jawbone and facial appearance at the same time. No other solution is as effective at doing so.

What we do as an implant dentist
As an implant dentist, we replace teeth on a regular basis using a surgical procedure. To determine if you qualify for implant surgery, we need to examine your gums and take X-rays to find out if you have enough bone density for the procedure. If you do not, we can discuss other options like mini dental implants which are also implanted, but the metal posts are smaller.

Regardless of which procedure is right for you, we can do everything in our power to give you replacement teeth that look natural, beautiful and function like your natural teeth once did. With implants, you can continue to eat all of your favorite foods, speak clearly, and have a confident smile, free from the worry that your teeth could fall out.

Lacey Implant Dentist

Our qualifications as an implant dentist
While most general dentists provide some options for tooth replacement, only an implant dentist can replace both your tooth and your root. This is a surgical procedure where a titanium post is implanted under your gums and secured to your jawbone. The bone and metal will eventually fuse together through the process of osseointegration creating a strong and durable new root system that the tooth can be secured to. Since this is done surgically, it is important that you visit a dentist that has received additional training on how to complete the procedure quickly and efficiently. This will ensure that you do not spend longer than necessary in the dental chair and that you can recover quickly. Otherwise, your recovery process could be unnecessarily prolonged due to a lack of experience by the dentist completing your procedure. While there is no standardized training or accreditation program for an implant dentist, we have completed additional courses in addition to graduating from dental school. Also, the number of dental implants that are placed by an cosmetic dentist are significantly higher than the number of procedures performed by a traditional family dentist. As with any surgery, the more often a dentist completes the procedure, the faster and more accurate they will be at doing so. For this reason, if you live in Lacey, WA or the 98503 area, we invite you to call 360-491-2532 and schedule an appointment for a consultation. During your appointment, we can answer your questions and provide you with more information regarding the number of procedures we perform and the additional training that we have received.

The procedures we perform
As an implant dentist, we have several types of implant procedures that we perform. The one that we recommend will be based on the density of your jawbone.

Traditional Dental Implants
To qualify for this procedure, you need to have sufficient density in your jawbone, which makes it necessary to visit us quickly after tooth loss. We begin by sedating you, to help you remain comfortable and not feel anything. Very often, we put patients to sleep because it can take several hours to place all of the implants. This is a surgical procedure where we insert a titanium post under the gums and secure it to the jawbone in the place where each missing tooth was. The titanium post creates a new root that the tooth will eventually be secured to. The process of osseointegration should take place first to ensure that the new tooth has maximum stability. Since it can take a couple of months to complete the procedure, many of our patients will wear a temporary denture to give them a somewhat natural looking smile until the new tooth is secured to the implant. After the surgery, you will need to be careful with what you eat for a few days since your gums will be sore. Once the process has been completed, you will be able to eat all of your favorite foods without restriction. As an implant dentist, we can provide you with the sturdiest and most durable tooth replacement solution available today.

Helpful Related Links

• American Dental Association (ADA). Glossary of Dental Terms. 2015
• American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry® (AACD). Home Page. 2015
• WebMD. WebMD’s Oral Care Guide. 2015

About our business, license, and website security

• Herbert E. Todd, DDS PLLC was established in 1997
• We accept the following payment methods: American Express, Cash, Check, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa
• We serve patients from the following counties: Thurston County & Grays Harbor County
• We serve patients from the following cities: Lacey, Olympia, East Olympia, Union Mill, South Bay, Yelm, Rochester, and Shelton


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