Dental Implants Bakersfield/ Zirconia Dental Implants in Bakersfield, CA

Zirconia Implants in Bakersfield, CA

Metal-free ceramicBest for thin gumBoth materials offeredSecond opinions welcome

A white ceramic implant with no metal in it. The right choice for a front tooth where your gum is thin, and for anyone who would rather avoid metal altogether.

White all the way through, so nothing gray can show at the gum line
Completely metal-free ceramic
Both ceramic and titanium placed here, so you get a real comparison
Written itemized price for either material

Check if you Qualify

Consultations

(310) 929-9128

Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM
English, Spanish and Farsi

Book a Consultation

Overview

Ceramic Instead of Titanium

A zirconia implant does the same job as a titanium one. It is placed in your jawbone, bone grows onto it, and a crown goes on top.

The difference is what it is made of. Zirconia is a white ceramic, so there is no metal anywhere in it.

That matters in two situations:

Thin gum at the front. Gum tissue is slightly see-through. Over a gray implant, a shadow can read through at the gum line. Over a white one, nothing can.
You would rather have no metal. Some people want a metal-free option, and this is the only implant that genuinely is one.

Outside those two situations, titanium is usually the better pick. This page says where each one wins.

Not the same as a zirconia crown

Most implant crowns are already zirconia, sitting on a titanium implant. A zirconia implant means the part inside your bone is ceramic too. Different thing, worth checking which you are being quoted.

How it works

One Piece, No Metal

Placement is much the same as titanium. The design is where zirconia differs, and it affects your treatment in ways worth knowing.

One piece or two
	Most zirconia	Most titanium
Built as	One solid piece	Two parts that join
Top sits	Above the gum from day one	Buried while it heals
Angle correction	Not possible after placing	Yes, at the connector stage
Crown attaches by	Cement	Screw, usually
Placement accuracy	Has to be exact first time	More room to adjust later
Narrow widths	Fewer options	Widely available

Because a one-piece implant is also its own connector, where it points is decided the moment it goes in. There is no second chance to adjust the angle later.

What follows from that:

Planning has to be precise, which is why the 3D scan matters more here
The top is exposed while healing, so it must be kept clear of your bite and your temporary
Healing is often given a little longer than titanium
The crown is cemented rather than screwed on

Two-piece zirconia implants do exist and remove some of these limits. Fewer systems offer them, and they have less history behind them again.

Does bone grow onto ceramic?

Yes. Modern zirconia surfaces are roughened so bone locks on much as it does to titanium. The published success rates are good. They just do not stretch back as many decades.

Timeline

From Placement to Crown

Almost identical to a titanium single implant, with two differences.

What is the same:

About an hour to place, under numbing or sedation
Soreness peaks on day two, then fades
Back to work the next day for most people
Three to six months of healing

What is different:

The top of the implant is exposed from day one, so it has to be protected
Any temporary you wear must clear it completely, not rest on it
Healing is often given slightly longer

Drag the slider for each stage.

Call us if

Something knocks the exposed top, your temporary starts to touch it, or pain increases after day three instead of easing.

Your visits

Six stages from consultation to finished crown.

Visit 1SurgeryDay 3Week 2HealingCrown

Benefits

Where Ceramic Wins, and Where it Does Not

Tap between the two materials. Both panels show the same front tooth site with thin gum, which is the case where the difference is visible.

White ceramic, no metal

White all the way through, so nothing dark can show at the gum line.
Contains no metal at all, which settles the question for anyone worried about it.
Gum tissue tends to sit against ceramic well, and it attracts slightly less plaque.
The obvious choice for a front tooth where your gum is thin.
Shorter track record than titanium, and fewer long-term studies.
More brittle, and usually one solid piece, which limits what the dentist can adjust.

The long-standing standard

Decades of research behind it, and the most predictable option overall.
Comes in two pieces, so the crown angle can be corrected after healing.
Tougher, and better suited to back teeth and heavy bites.
Available in narrow widths for tight gaps where zirconia is not.
Gray, so with thin gum a shadow can appear at the margin over time.
Contains metal, which some patients would rather avoid.

Tap to switch. Neither is better everywhere. It depends on the site.

Choose zirconia when:

It is a front tooth and your gum is thin. This is the strongest reason by a distance. Nothing dark can show through white ceramic.
You want nothing metal in your body. A legitimate preference, and this is the only implant that satisfies it.
You have a confirmed titanium sensitivity. Genuinely rare, but real, and worth testing rather than assuming.
Gum health is a priority. Tissue tends to sit well against ceramic and it attracts slightly less plaque.

Titanium is the better choice when:

It is a back tooth. Nobody sees it, and titanium handles heavy chewing better.
The gap is narrow. Titanium comes in slimmer widths that zirconia does not.
The angle may need correcting. Two-piece titanium lets that be fixed after healing. One-piece zirconia does not.
You want the longest track record. Titanium has decades behind it. Zirconia has good data over a shorter period.

If you choose metal

The Gray Line at the Gum

This is the specific problem zirconia exists to prevent, and it only shows up years after the decision is made. Tap through a decade on a front tooth with thin gum.

Why it catches people out:

It looks perfect on day one. There is no way to tell from the finished result which material is underneath. The difference appears later or not at all.
Some gum recession is normal. A millimeter or two over years happens to most implants. On thick tissue it is invisible. On thin tissue it uncovers the collar.
Nobody measures gum thickness by looking. It is checked at the exam and on the scan. If your consultation never mentions it, ask.
Fixing it is disproportionate. Grafting gum over exposed metal, or taking the implant out and replacing it. Both cost far more than choosing the right material once.

None of this applies to a back tooth, and it barely applies if your gum is thick. That is why this is a site-by-site decision rather than a rule.

Ask about your gum thickness

Pricing

What Ceramic Costs

Zirconia implants cost more than titanium. The fixture itself is more expensive, and fewer manufacturers make them.

So the question worth asking is what the extra buys you in your case. On a front tooth with thin gum, it buys an outcome titanium cannot guarantee. On a back molar, it mostly buys the fact that it is not metal.

Ask for both quotes side by side. Any office that will only quote one material is not really giving you a choice.

Insurance

Plans treat both materials the same way, so choosing ceramic does not change your coverage either way. Whatever a plan pays toward an implant, extraction or crown applies the same. Financing through Proceed Finance is available, subject to approval.

Credentials

Meet your Surgeon

Dr. Sam Harouni, DDS. Oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Bakersfield.

A one-piece implant has to be placed at exactly the right angle first time, because there is no adjusting it afterward. That is the main reason ceramic asks more of the surgeon than titanium does.

Dental degree from the University of Southern California
Surgical residency at Emory University School of Medicine
Places both ceramic and titanium, so the recommendation is not limited to one product
Soft tissue grafting handled in-house, for cases where thin gum needs thickening too
Over 10,000 patients treated, 4.7 out of 5 on Yelp, English and Farsi

Full Biography

FAQ

Questions Patients Ask

Is zirconia as strong as titanium?

It is harder, but more brittle. Titanium bends slightly under extreme force where ceramic is likelier to fracture.

For normal chewing at a front tooth this is not a practical concern. For a heavy bite on a back molar, or if you grind, titanium is generally the safer engineering choice.

Do I need zirconia if I think I react to metal?

Possibly, but confirm it first. True titanium allergy is genuinely rare, and titanium is used throughout medicine partly because the body tolerates it so well.

If you have reacted to jewelry or other implanted metal, testing is worth doing before deciding. If you simply prefer no metal, that is a fair reason on its own and does not need a test.

Why does the color matter if it is buried in bone?

Because the top of it is not buried. It passes through the gum, and gum tissue is slightly translucent.

If your gum is thin, a gray implant can read through as a shadow at the margin, and more so if the gum recedes a little over the years. On a back tooth nobody sees it. On a front tooth it is the whole question.

What does one-piece mean and why does it matter?

Most zirconia implants are made as a single unit, so the part in your bone and the part the crown sits on are one piece of ceramic.

It means the angle is fixed at placement with no adjusting later, the top is exposed while it heals rather than buried, and the crown is cemented on rather than screwed. Precise planning matters more as a result.

Can zirconia be used for any tooth?

Not every case. It comes in fewer widths, so a narrow gap may not have a ceramic option that fits.

It is also less commonly chosen for back teeth, where heavy chewing favors titanium and nobody can see the implant anyway. Front teeth are where it earns its place.

Does it cost more than titanium?

Yes. The fixture itself costs more and fewer manufacturers make them.

What matters is what the difference buys you. At a front tooth with thin gum it prevents an outcome titanium cannot rule out. At a back molar it mainly buys the absence of metal. Ask for both quotes side by side.

How long have zirconia implants been used?

Modern ceramic implants have been in clinical use for roughly two decades, and published success rates over that period are good.

Titanium goes back much further, with research spanning far longer. If having the longest possible track record is your priority, that is a fair reason to choose titanium.

Can I have a zirconia crown on a titanium implant?

Yes, and that is what most implant crowns already are. A white zirconia crown on a titanium fixture is the standard combination.

It is worth being clear which you are being quoted. A zirconia crown does not make the implant metal-free, and it does not prevent a gray shadow, because the metal is still the part passing through your gum.

Will my gum look different around ceramic?

Often slightly better, yes. Gum tissue tends to sit closely against zirconia, and ceramic attracts a little less plaque than metal does.

The bigger factor is simply that there is nothing dark underneath. Even if the gum recedes a millimeter over the years, what shows is white rather than gray.