Thinking of Using Dental Implants to Replace Missing Teeth? Here's What You Should Know
They say a smile speaks a thousand words. If this is true, then what does yours say? If you’re worried that your smile is sending the wrong message, then it’s time for you to seek professional help from our dentist near you.
Missing teeth can affect your self-esteem, in addition to your dental health. For your mouth to operate as it should, your teeth should be intact and healthy. However, people sometimes lose their teeth due to various reasons.
That’s why our dentist near you offers dental implant treatment to help restore your teeth’s appearance and function. Nothing beats having your natural teeth, but dental implants come close.
Why Get Dental Implants?
Modern dentistry offers a wide array of solutions to anyone who needs their teeth replaced. The amount of teeth replacement options alone is enough to confuse most people. However, knowing your options can help you make an informed decision.
One teeth replacement option is dentures. Traditional dentures depend on adhesives to stick to your gums. Although dentures are a great and affordable teeth replacement option, they can shift inside your mouth or even fall out.
Dental bridges can also replace missing teeth. They consist of a false tooth and two crowns attached to it on either side. The drawback with dental bridges is that the teeth adjacent to the gap have to be used as anchors to keep the dental bridge in place.
Unlike dentures and bridges, which only replace the crown portion of the tooth, implants also replace the roots. They are titanium rods strategically placed in your jawbone that act as your tooth roots.
It takes about six months for the implants to fuse with your jawbone. Once they are permanently attached to your jawbone, they become very stable. Therefore, you will not face the same issues as with dental bridges and dentures.
Dental implants are a practical and permanent solution. When they are fixed, you can look for a crown or denture to cover the implants.
Basic Types of Implants
Our Prosthodontist will need to check your jawbone to see which option will work best in your situation. These are the choices:
- Endosteal implants – With this option, the implant is placed directly into your jawbone to replace and act as your tooth root. By far, this is the most used type of implant.
- Subperiosteal implants – When you don’t have enough jawbone, a titanium framework will be placed on your jawbone. Unlike endosteal implants, these lie parallel to the jawbone.
Types of Implant Methods
After a thorough examination of your jawbone, our Prosthodontist may suggest any of the following dental implant methods:
- Single-Stage Implants
With this option, our Prosthodontist will place a long titanium rod into your jawbone that will stick up above the gum line. Your gums will heal around the implant. Since the implant will be visible after you have healed, our dentist can easily place the artificial tooth onto it. With this option, there is no need for minor surgery to expose the implant.
- Two-Stage Implants
The two-stage process also involves implant placement in your jawbone. However, your gum tissue will be stitched to cover the implant while you wait for the jaw to heal. After roughly six months, you will need to undergo another minor surgery to expose the implant.
Then, our Prosthodontist will gain access to the implant so that the abutment and dental prosthesis or artificial teeth can be added. This is usually the ideal method if you are going for the All-On-4® dental implants, multiple implants, or single tooth implants.
Other procedures can be performed to facilitate the success of the tooth implants, such as:
- Ridge expansion
- Bone augmentation
- Sinus lift
- Gum graft
However, these procedures can only be performed if our Prosthodontist has deemed them necessary. If you would like to get dental implants, contact us at Beverly Dental Group to schedule an appointment. We will examine your teeth and bones to determine if you would be a good candidate.