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Dental Implants from Your Friendly Bakersfield Dentist

Looking for a sure way to improve your smile?

Try dental implants at McCullough Dental! Our implants are individually designed for each patient’s mouth, so they’ll fit perfectly. Our incredible technology helps us make them long-lasting as well!

We cultivate a dental practice that integrates patients into our dental family. You can expect to be greeted warmly at your appointment, and treated like a good friend.

Come meet our warm, friendly staff in our Bakersfield office. We love dentistry because we get to know and help so many wonderful people like you! Our practice uses patient-focused dentistry—it’s all about you!—that our patients love.

Missing Teeth Are Bullies

You might not have realized how important your teeth were until you lost them. It can be hard to live a normal life with missing teeth! Now, you’re dealing with all sorts of problems:

  • Pain.
  • Difficulty eating and speaking.
  • Embarrassment.
  • Sensitive gums.
  • Bleeding gums.
  • Sores/abscesses.
  • Deteriorating jawbone.

When there is an empty space in your mouth, your teeth naturally shift to fill it. This can cause crooked teeth, bite misalignment, and even a condition called temporomandibular disorder (TMD).

Sounds a bit like getting into a fight with a school bully, doesn’t it? Stand up to your oral bullies! Get your missing teeth replaced with dental implants!

How Dental Implants Can Help

Dental implants check all the boxes. Your missing teeth give you a bucketload of problems, but dental implants can make those problems disappear. Here’s what dental implants can do for you:

  • Fill the Gaps: Dental implants completely replace missing teeth. You won’t have any embarrassing gaps in your smile that make it difficult to eat or speak.
  • Improve Your Appearance: We make our dental implant crowns to match your teeth' pigment perfectly. Plus, having the implants can make our patients look years younger!
  • Improve Your Confidence: When you have a smile that is full, uniform, and long-lasting, you’ll be able to smile with confidence more often.

Dr. McCullough Is the Implant Dentist for You

Many times, dentists will outsource to implant specialists for the operation and only carry out the final crown restoration themselves. Not at McCullough Dental. Get the care you need all in one place. Schedule with us today.

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What Patients Say About Their New Smiles

So happy with each contact at McCullough Dental. The staff is so very nice and always talk to us as if we are friends. The hygienists are personable, thorough and knowledgeable. Dr Mac, as we call him, is young and current in procedures. He takes the time to discuss and explain your personal dental plan. If you need a great dental experience, try McCullough Dental. – Mary R.

The Astounding Benefits Of Dental Implants

The Astounding Benefits Of Dental Implants

Dental Implants: What Are They?

When you are missing even a single tooth, it puts more than the cosmetics of your smile at risk. Our teeth protect our gums from harmful bacteria and disease, stimulate our jawbone for proper density, and keep our facial muscles strong. Not to mention daily activities like chewing and speaking.

Thankfully, dental implants are the solution to restore your smile and your dental health by simulating your natural teeth in both form and function! This makes them among the most popular choices in tooth restoration today.

Dental Implants Solve Problems From Missing Teeth

Implants make life better for patients with missing teeth. Getting a dental implant to replace each missing tooth will keep your other teeth in place and help you avoid tooth wear and conditions like TMD. Dental implants fill in empty spaces in your gums so bacteria can’t get in so easily. Because implants are made out of sturdy, bacteria-resistant materials, like porcelain, they won’t get cavities or infections!

Stimulate Your Jaw To Maintain Dental Health

An implant is more than just a replacement tooth. The implant itself replaces the tooth root. It goes right into the jaw bone and provides the necessary stimulation for a strong jaw. Without proper stimulation, you are putting your dental health at risk. Missing teeth have been linked to severe loss in bone density, up to 30%!

Restore your smile and protect all of your oral health with a dental implant.

Decrease Oral Concerns

Dental implants can last a lifetime if given proper care. Unlike your natural teeth, you won’t have to worry about implants falling out, getting infections, or changing color!

This is all thanks to the incredible quality of materials that make up a dental implant: titanium and porcelain. The titanium roots the implant securely in the jaw. A durable, long-term solution to ensure your smile’s beauty and oral health.

The Dental Implant Options For Your Perfect Smile

A driving factor for dental implants’ popularity is how versatile their treatment options are. They can restore a lost tooth, multiple missing teeth, or even all teeth for a brand-new smile. You can even choose between a permanent fixture or a removable set of teeth thanks to implant-supported bridges or dentures.

Thanks to dental implants, each smile can be as unique as the person sharing it!

Full Mouth Rehabilitation Made Possible With Dental Implants

Even the most severe dental issues can be resolved through dental implants which offer full mouth rehabilitation. Patients who are missing all of their teeth or have the majority of their teeth damaged (such as dental trauma or advanced tooth decay) can achieve a brand new smile with as little as four implants!

Incredible! Four implants and all-new teeth provide a healthy, beautiful smile you can be proud of.

Who Is A Good Candidate For Dental Implants?

For anyone missing one or more teeth, you are already on your way to being a candidate for dental implants. Consider a consultation if any of the following apply to you:

  • You want a natural-looking and feeling tooth replacement.
  • You want a long-term restoration solution.
  • You have healthy gums.
  • You have a strong jaw.
  • You want to avoid the hassles of traditional dentures or false teeth.

Choosing The Right Dentist For Your Implants

To get dental implants that last a lifetime, you certainly want to find the right dentist to provide you with your new smile. Luckily, our team of dedicated dental professionals has plenty of experience, and we work with your personal input at every stage of treatment. This helps us ensure your dental health needs and goals are met.

At McCullough Dental, you get an enduring smile and enduring confidence.

Implant Process

1
Consultation

This first appointment helps us get an idea of your situation, we will examine, x-ray, and take impressions of your teeth. This will tell us what your needs are and give us a model to use when constructing your implants.

Next, we’ll discuss with you our plan for dental implant placement. Your plan might include variables:

  • The number of implants.
  • Frequency or number of appointments.
  • The need for a bone graft on your jaw.

2
Bone Graft (When Necessary)

Dental implants provide a foundation for your new teeth, which means they need proper support from your jaw. Unfortunately, missing teeth can weaken the jaw, which means some may require a bone graft.

Luckily, this is a straightforward procedure. A “graft” (material that adds strength and density to the jaw) is placed under your gums, which will bond with the jawbone thanks to the body’s natural healing process.

3
Surgical Appointment

When you arrive for your implant placement, we’ll keep to the following general steps:

  • Sedation: Dental implant placement is surgery. We will give you anesthesia, so you won’t feel a thing during the procedure.
  • Preparation: We’ll get your mouth ready to receive implants by removing any remaining teeth that need replacing.
  • Implant Placement: We’ll place a small titanium rod under the gumline using dental technology.

4
Healing Period

Once your implant is in, we’ll give you a temporary dental crown that will protect your new implant. Then you’ll be able to go home and rest for several weeks.

You’ll probably experience some soreness after the surgery. You can minimize it with an ice pack and Tylenol. We also suggest not eating solid foods for the first few days, but don’t drink out of a straw as the sucking could disturb the healing.

5
Placing the Abutment

The second stage of the dental implant procedure is placing the abutment. The abutment can be seen as the middle piece of the implant, connecting the foundation to the crown (false tooth). This is a quicker and easier process than the first, requiring a small incision along your gums so the abutment can be comfortably connected.

Once placed, you will be given a recovery period so your gums can heal.

6
Creating Your Crown

Now it’s time to get your new tooth! You should be fully healed by your next appointment. This one’s easy, thanks to our amazing CEREC technology. Using the impressions we took back on the first visit, we’ll make your new dental crown in just one day!

Your crown will look and function just like a natural tooth with some incredible perks such as being incredibly durable and resistant to stains and tooth decay.

7
Placing the Crown

After creating your beautiful new tooth with advanced CEREC equipment, we are now ready to complete your dental implant by placing the crown on the abutment. Unlike the first two procedures, this is a simple one that won’t require any surgery but will simply connect the dental crown with the abutment.

And voila! Your smile has now been restored with a long-lasting, permanent solution that will look and feel natural.

Additional Considerations When Selecting Your Dental Implants

It’s small wonder why dental implants are becoming the benchmark for tooth restoration: they have a wide variety of options that can truly personalize your treatment plan. From fixed dental implants to removable ones, replacing one tooth or multiple teeth, there is plenty to consider.

Before scheduling your consultation, feel free to look over the following list to determine what implant options appeal to you.

Mini Dental Implants: A Big Deal

Huge benefits in a small package sums up mini dental implants. By being placed directly into a lost tooth’s socket, they give the oral health advantages of tooth restoration without the minor surgeries of their larger counterparts. This means a newer smile quicker than ever!

All-On-4® Treatment Concept Restoration

Thanks to the ingenuity of the All-On-4® treatment concept, even the most severe dental health issues can be treated. By using 4 specialized implants, the majority of lost teeth (or even every tooth!) can be replaced and provide a brand-new, healthy smile.

Feel Secure In Your Smile With Fixed Implants

Like it sounds, a fixed dental implant is a long-term and permanent solution to missing teeth. The crown (false tooth) will be securely affixed to the dental implant, allowing it to act and be treated just like a natural tooth.

Removable Implants For Convenience And Comfort

Traditional tooth replacement methods like dentures are a very involved process. They need messy adhesives to work and they still run the risk of slipping out of place. With fixed implants, new teeth are easily snapped in and out of place for maximum comfort and convenience!

Considerations For Your Dental Implant Plan

To ensure your dental health needs are met and give you a beautiful, new smile, dental implants have an impressive selection of treatment options. The following is a list of just a few of these options to consider when determining which dental implants work for you.

Dental implants are long-lasting, stimulating, sturdy impressive pieces of dental hardware. They are top-of-the-line. This can mean they are a more expensive option for tooth replacement.

The cost depends on your situation. Some people have many missing teeth and deteriorating jawbone marrow so their procedures will be on the pricier side. If you’re only missing one tooth, the process will be more affordable.

The process of getting dental implants might seem painful or scary. At our practice, we try to minimize the pain as much as possible. Using anesthesia, we’ll be able to operate without causing you any discomfort. If you do feel any pain during the procedure, let us know immediately.

You might experience some achiness in the days following your surgery. This is normal. Use ice and Tylenol or Advil to manage discomfort.

Dental implants are one of the most long-lasting tooth-replacement solutions. Other options break easily, wear down, or need to be renewed because of how your mouth has changed over time.

Dental implants, on the other hand, will last you nearly a lifetime if you’re taking proper care of them. They are made of titanium, which bonds beautifully with your jawbone, giving the implant permanent stability.

If you are looking to restore lost teeth or need to replace damaged ones, then you are already a great candidate for dental implants. Contact us for a consultation if any of the following apply to you:

  • You have one or more teeth missing or require replacing.
  • You have healthy gums that can handle minor oral surgery.
  • You have a strong jaw (bone grafts can help strengthen your jaw).

Keep yourself as healthy as you can. Drink plenty of water, brush your teeth twice a day, and floss regularly. We’ll give you more information about specifics after your consultation appointment.

We also want you to be as comfortable as possible during each visit. If you struggle with dental anxiety, ask about our sedation dentistry office during consultation. You can learn more by clicking here.

One of the great things about dental implants is that they don’t require any additional care like dentures do. The sturdy materials they’re made of keep them from getting cavities or infections, but they still need to be cleaned, just like your other teeth do. Just brush your teeth every day, floss once a day, and don’t forget your regular visits to McCullough Dental every six months!

Dental implants are made out of extremely strong materials that are meant to be sturdy and long-lasting. However, facial trauma or other accidents could break the crown, just like an accident could break any of your teeth.

If this ever happens, don’t sweat! We are happy to fix broken implant restorations! If something happens to the crown of your implant, we can replace it for you! We can also replace implant posts.

Schedule Your Consultation Today!

At McCullough Dental in Bakersfield, we provide personalized dental implant treatments for our patients. Here, patients are like family. Come find out how your life could change by getting incredible tooth replacements from a warm and friendly dentist.

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