You may have heard of all-on-4 dental implants or all-on-6 implants, without actually understanding what's involved in either of these two procedures.

A dental implant is a surgical procedure which installs a small titanium post directly into your jaw bone to provide an anchor for an artificial tooth which will be emplaced later.

There are a number of implant procedures available in modern dentistry, so it's entirely possible that there could be some confusion regarding the nomenclature of all these potential procedures.

Following a tooth extraction, most people are eager to have that tooth replaced as soon as possible, so functionality can be restored in the mouth.

In some cases, your dentist will recommend that one or more teeth be pulled, simply because the mouth is becoming too crowded.

Dental implant surgery can be a very good option for any person who is missing one or more teeth, because it can provide a permanent solution for the missing tooth, and will look and feel extremely natural in your mouth. In years past, only dentures and bridgework were available to patients who had undergone a tooth extraction, but dental implants are now available as perhaps the very best solution for a missing tooth.

Dental cavities are formed when sugar on the surface of your teeth decays into acid, and this acid is capable of boring through the hard outer surface of your teeth, called the enamel. Once the acid reaches the softer part of the tooth beneath the enamel, known as the dentin, a cavity forms and has to be dealt with by your dentist.

Maintaining good dental health is even more important than you might think, given the fact that oral health has such a huge impact on your overall health.

Dr. Ammons and the rest of our team have weighed in on 4 tips that will help you and your family establish a preventive care routine than can protect and preserve your smile for years to come.