Dental implants are designed to provide a strong foundation for replacement teeth. These new teeth look, feel, and perform just like a regular tooth. Dental implants are changing the way our patients live. A person who has lost a tooth is able to regain the ability to eat with that tooth again.
A dental implant appears completely natural and keeps your facial contours intact by preventing the bone deterioration that occurs when teeth are missing. An implant is one of the healthiest ways to replace a missing tooth.
Dentures have been a solution for missing teeth for centuries, but they have a few notable flaws. When we use our own teeth to chew, it stimulates the jaw bone and keeps it strong. Dentures aren’t very effective at providing this stimulation, resulting in oral health problems like bone loss in the jaws. This, in turn, can lead to the dentures not fitting very well, so they can slip and fall out easily and leave the gums feeling sore.
Implants, on the other hand, are artificial teeth that are placed into the jawbone and function the same way as the roots of teeth. Implants greatly reduce the risk of bone loss and they won’t slip and slide while you’re trying to chew your food or have an engaging conversation. Taking care of implants is the same as taking care of natural teeth. True, the price tag can be higher with implants than dentures, but that’s pretty much the only advantage removable dentures have as replacement teeth. Implants can replace individual teeth or they can be used as anchors to support full or partial dentures.
Dental implants are the gold standard for replacing missing teeth. Anyone missing teeth understands that they sacrifice confidence and the ability to smile and laugh without covering their mouths in shame. The most obvious of benefits is the ability for greater enjoyment of life. But the benefits go far beyond this:
To ensure that your implant lasts as long as it should, you should keep up with good daily oral hygiene habits. An implant can’t get a cavity like a normal tooth, but because it lacks the periodontal ligament between the gum and implant, the surrounding tissue can be vulnerable to infection. We encourage our dental implant patients to be diligent with brushing and flossing so that they can avoid problems like peri-implantitis.
There are three parts that make up a dental implant.
Dental implants are very cost-effective and, if properly cared for, will last for many, many years. The process of placing a dental implant is simple and straightforward and is a regular treatment here at Powell Family Dentistry. Millions of people get dental implants to fill the gaps in their smiles every year.
If you’d like to learn more about this excellent modern solution to an age-old dental problem and find out if dental implant surgery could be part of your treatment plan, we’re happy to answer your questions! Make sure to get directions before heading to our Powell office.