Dental implants are not just an effective way to restore your smile, but also to maintain oral health. A missing front tooth will affect your speech and overall aesthetics.
If a back tooth is lost, other teeth will move around to fill that space, causing a change in your bite. Teeth drastically shifting will lead to periodontal disease.
Dental implants fill the gaps you may have due to missing teeth, preventing such problems from occurring.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Implants can dramatically improve the look of your smile by filling in missing teeth with replacements that are made to look like your natural ones.
In addition, they can become permanent by eventually fusing with bone, allowing you to feel as confident as if they were your own teeth. In fact, with implants, you’ll be able to speak and eat with no problems, unlike with dentures.
Another advantage to dental implants is that the surrounding teeth will not need to be altered to accommodate them, as with options like dental bridges. This means your long-term dental health won’t be compromised. They’re strong, so they’ll last for years.
You can be confident in the convenience of not having to remove your implants as you would with dentures. They become a part of you.
As long as you take care of your implants, they should last for the rest of your life.
Candidates for Dental Implants
Candidates for implants should be in overall good general health. Your gums must be fairly healthy, and there should be plenty of bone to be able to secure the implant.
It is important that you understand the need to continue good oral hygiene practices to maintain the structure of your dental implants.
People with medical histories of heart disease, diabetes, radiation therapy or those who are heavy smokers may need an individual consultation to determine if implants are a wise option.
What to Expect
First, you will be examined and provided with an individual treatment plan that’s meant to address your particular situation. The next step is the implantation of the tooth root implant into the bone of your jaw in the area of the tooth that is missing.
This implant is a titanium post. The jaw bone will grow around this post as it heals, securing it tightly. The healing process should take around 12 weeks.
You’ll return to the dentist after the implant heals. A small connector post called an abutment will be attached to the implant. This is what holds the replacement tooth.
A mold of your teeth and bite will have been made to have the new tooth crafted to match. That replacement, called a crown, will be fitted to the abutment and secured in place.
It is also possible to have a removable denture placed instead of a crown that will eventually become permanently fixed. Local anesthetic can be used, so there should be minimal discomfort.
Dental implants are an effective way to replace missing teeth, restoring your smile and maintaining oral health. Contact the office of Dr. Jamie Elizabeth Sands today to schedule an appointment.