Besides the obvious blemish on your appearance, missing teeth can also create problems you can’t see. A big gap in your smile does not allow you to present your true self because you just don’t feel like smiling naturally. It may also be difficult to eat a proper, nutritious diet if you have trouble chewing certain foods.
There are many ways to replace missing teeth and, while nothing in this world can truly replicate a healthy natural tooth, implants may be the preferable option for many. Implants have been one of the biggest advances in dentistry in the last 40 years and more than 5.5 million are placed annually. They are popular because they can replace single missing teeth without compromising the adjacent teeth, as with a bridge, and stay fixed permanently in the mouth, unlike partials and dentures.
What is a Dental Implant?
Implants are titanium posts that are surgically placed in the jaw and serve to anchor replacement teeth. They receive a crown after an initial healing period, just like natural teeth. If several teeth are missing, multiple implants may be able to be placed and restored with crowns or bridges.
Why do I Need a Dental Implant?
If a tooth is removed without replacement, you may run the risk of having adjacent teeth drift and tilt or the teeth in the opposite jaw erupt further. This can affect your bite and could lead to stress on the remaining teeth as well as jaw pain. If replacement is delayed, bone loss will occur at the site of the missing tooth making implant placement difficult later, sometimes requiring bone grafting.
If you have a denture, implants may be placed under the denture to help hold it in place.
How Does it Work?
After placement by a periodontist or oral surgeon, we restore the implant fixture with a new crown milled by a local dental laboratory often on the same day. So you are never more than a couple of hours without your tooth.