If you have been living with a gap in your smile, you already know it affects more than appearance. Chewing drifts to one side, certain foods quietly leave the menu, and the space can make you hesitate in photos. A dental implant solves the problem at its source by replacing the missing tooth from the jawbone up.
At Newport Beach Dental Center, Dr. Laura Sharbash, DDS, FAGD, D.ABDSM, and our team care for Fountain Valley patients at an office roughly 10 miles away. Our in-house periodontist and implant specialist places the implant, and we design and attach the final tooth, so you work with one team from the first scan to the finished smile.
Achieve your dream smile with cosmetic dentistry and flexible financing that makes transformation affordable.
A dental implant has three parts. A titanium post sits in the jawbone as the new root, a small connector called an abutment joins the post to the visible tooth, and a custom crown, bridge, or denture finishes the restoration. Over several months, the bone grows tightly around the post in a process called osseointegration, which is what gives an implant its steady, natural feel when you chew.
That same process protects your jaw. When a tooth is gone, the bone beneath it loses the pressure it needs to stay strong and can gradually shrink. An implant puts that pressure back, helping preserve the shape of your jaw while leaving the neighboring teeth alone.
Treatment moves in four stages, and we explain each one before it begins.
Because one team handles every stage, nothing gets lost between a surgeon’s office and a restorative dentist’s chair. For a single missing tooth, we can often design and mill a same-day crown with CEREC technology, and when several teeth are missing, implant-supported dentures can anchor a full arch in place.
A traditional dental bridge closes a gap by placing crowns on the teeth on either side, which means reshaping healthy enamel. An implant stands on its own, so the neighboring teeth stay as they are. Removable dentures rest on the gums instead of anchoring in bone, so they cannot stimulate the jaw the way an implant does.
| Dental implant | Traditional bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Held in place by | A titanium post anchored in the jawbone | Crowns placed on the teeth beside the gap |
| Neighboring teeth | Stay untouched | Healthy enamel is shaved down for the crowns |
Durability matters too. A 2024 meta-analysis of 20-year implant data found about four out of five implants survived two decades, and its authors urged continued follow-up care well past the first ten years. Our guide to dental implant longevity covers the habits that help an implant last.
Most adults with missing teeth can be considered, and the answer rests on four things we check at your consultation.
Smoking slows healing and raises the risk of failure, but it does not automatically rule you out. If it applies to you, we will talk it through plainly and plan around it.
Costs depend on how many teeth are involved and whether grafting is needed, so we give you a clear plan after your exam rather than a guess in advance. Many PPO plans offer partial coverage for related work such as extractions or the final crown. We work with Delta Dental and verify your benefits before treatment begins, and financing is available through CareCredit and Cherry for whatever insurance does not cover.
If dental visits make you anxious, IV sedation is available. We also treat any gum disease before placement, because healthy gums are essential for a stable result.
Here are straight answers to a few common questions about dental implants.
With good care, an implant can last for decades, and the crown on top may need replacing after roughly 10 to 15 years of normal wear. Regular cleanings and checkups protect the tissue around the post and let us catch small issues early.
Local anesthesia numbs the area during placement, and sedation is available if you feel anxious. Most patients report mild soreness afterward that over-the-counter medication can manage, and many return to normal activity within a day or two.
Our Newport Beach office is roughly 10 miles from Fountain Valley. Drive times change with traffic and route, so we suggest planning a little extra time for your first visit.
Fountain Valley has no shortage of dental offices, so the drive deserves a good reason. Ours is continuity. Implant care often passes between a surgeon, a restorative dentist, and a lab, and each handoff is a chance for delay. We keep it all in one practice, with one team that knows your case from the first scan to the final tooth.
We also restore implants placed elsewhere, so if you started treatment with another provider, we can take it from there. Our restorative dentistry in Fountain Valley covers the crowns and repairs that keep an implant smile working well.
Dr. Laura Sharbash is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, and she brings a conservative, gentle philosophy to every implant case. We explain each option in plain language and move at the pace you are comfortable with.
Questions about timing, insurance, or whether implants fit your situation are always welcome. If a missing tooth has been on your mind, contact our office to schedule your implant consultation.
Don’t let dental anxiety prevent you from getting the care you need. Schedule a sedation dentistry consultation with Dr. Sharbash today.
