Why We Recommend Dental Implants After Tooth Loss

If you have lost a tooth, you may be wondering whether dental implants are right for you. Tooth loss can be a stressful experience, especially if you lost one due to an accident or a painful infection. At our dental office, we understand that this can leave our patients feeling sore and concerned about their appearance and oral health. Our goal is to help you by providing a comprehensive solution that can restore your smile quickly and efficiently.

Our Recommendation

At our dental office, we typically recommend replacing teeth with dental implants. This is the only solution that is surgically placed and there are multiple benefits to it. To start, when you get a dental implant, none of your other teeth are impacted by this solution. This is entirely different than with a dental bridge where two of your other teeth are needed to serve as anchors. Those teeth must be prepared by having a portion of their enamel removed and crowns placed around them. In many cases, this permanently alters perfectly healthy teeth, something that is unnecessary in our opinion.  With dental implants this is not the case. A titanium post is implanted under the gums and secured to the jawbone.  The jawbone provides the stability and security that the new teeth needs, so your other teeth are left in place and left alone.

What is unique about dental implants is how the body reacts to the titanium post. It treats it like natural matter and begins the process of osseointegration. This is where the titanium and jawbone fuse together. As a result, the jaw provides the security that your new tooth needs so that it will remain in place while you are eating, speaking and engaging in normal daily activities.  Simultaneously, the jawbone benefits from this relationship because the post stimulates it and prevents resorption. All in all, this is a mutually beneficial relationship that promotes lifelong oral health.

Another reason that we prefer dental implants is that an implant is the most natural looking tooth replacement. We will create the tooth portion of your dental implant in the lab using measurements and an impression taken of your teeth. We will also match the shade of your surrounding teeth with the material used for your crown. It will be the exact size, shape, and shade that is necessary for it to look one hundred percent natural. This solution is so effective that most of our patients cannot tell which one of their teeth has been replaced when looking in the mirror.

Timing

You should be aware that since the process of osseointegration takes time, getting dental implants will take a few months. We believe that it is worth it to have a replacement tooth that is likely to last a lifetime. However, during this process we can provide you with a temporary denture to wear so that you do not have to walk around with an incomplete smile.  Remember, that once your dental implants are placed and the process is complete, your replacement teeth will look, behave, and feel just like your natural ones. For this reason, we highly recommend them.