Implant materials

Dental implants are made of titanium, a metal, or of zirconia, a white ceramic. This page says what each is and what is still not known.

How the choice is made

Dr. Loera doesn't pick for you. She sets out the facts for your case.

01
Step 1: Exam and scan
She checks your bone, gum and bite, and how the tooth was lost.
02
Step 2: Your priorities
The color at the gum line, the number of parts, and how much long-term evidence matters to you.
03
Step 3: Maker and system
We tell you the manufacturer and the system name, so you can read what the maker says.
04
Step 4: In writing
The choice, the steps and the fee go on one page you take home.

Titanium
A metal, used in dental implants for decades. It has long-term follow-up studies. At a thin gum line it can show as a gray shadow.
Zirconia
A white ceramic, newer in dentistry. It is tooth-colored and there are fewer long-term studies. Ceramic can fracture under heavy biting force.
Comfort and aftercare
The same for both: local numbing, some soreness for a few days, and care at home that we write down for you.
Risks
Either kind can fail to join the bone, and the gum around it can become inflamed. Tell us about any allergy before the exam.
How it's billed
The fee follows the case, not only the material. The fee is in your written estimate before we start.
How fees work

Titanium has decades of follow-up. Zirconia is newer, and its long-term studies are still coming in.

Yes. We name the maker and the system in your written plan, so you can look it up.

Tell us at your first visit. Dr. Loera talks it through, and with your physician if you want.

Yes, until treatment starts. Take the written plan home and call us with questions.

Dr. Ariadna Loera, DDS, general dentist, licensed in Washington.