Tooth decay is always a serious matter. The complications to your oral health continue to escalate the longer you go without having it treated. In an extreme case, the decay can compromise the tooth so badly that your dentist’s only effective treatment option is to extract the tooth. When your gums are healed, Dr. Ryan Bailey might recommend having a dental implant installed to completely replace the severely decayed tooth.
The restoration process has a few distinct steps. It starts with your dentist examining your jaw structure in the area. It’s important to assess if you have the sufficient jaw structure to anchor an implant. Otherwise, a bone graft procedure will need to be performed in advance of the implant procedure.
Dr. Ryan Bailey will then make a careful incision in your gums. A narrow channel will then be made in your jaw bone. A titanium implant will then be screwed into the channel in the bone and your gums will be sutured closed.
Titanium is known for being biologically safe and will fuse with your natural bone in a process known as osseointegration. This creates a very firm anchor point for an eventual dental crown.
Once your gums have healed and the titanium implant has been fully integrated into the surrounding bone tissues, your dentist can start the process of installing a dental crown. This will fully replace the missing tooth in your mouth.
If you have a severely decayed tooth, you should call Open Door Family Dentistry at 541-479-5505 to have it examined, treated and restored with a dental implant in Grants Pass, Oregon.