Dental Implants Can Provide a Lifetime Of Smiles
According to the American Dental Association, the average adult aged 20–64 has three or more decayed or missing teeth. If you’re missing one or more teeth, this may have already affected your self-esteem and confidence, however it’s important to correct this problem for many different reasons.
Failure to replace missing teeth is the leading cause of jawbone loss, which leads to changes in your facial appearance. The “spaces” can lead to shifting, resulting in major issues with your bite. This can have a “domino effect” by leading to unnatural wearing of teeth, bacteria build-up, additional tooth loss, sensitivity and even symptoms associated with temporomandibular joint (or “TMJ”) disorder. Although you can replace missing teeth with bridges or partial dentures, dental implants are considered the gold standard solution because they offer unrivaled longevity, functional benefits and natural appearance without involving the existing adjacent teeth.
What is a Dental Implant?
Dental implants replace missing teeth. It allows the patient an alternative option to a bridge, removable partial dentures or complete dentures. Dental implants are essentially synthetic root and teeth, typically made of titantium and surgically installed into the jaw bone by a skilled dentist or surgeon. An implant-supported crown has many advantages over a traditional dental bridge. Conventional dental bridges require grinding down the adjacent, typically healthy, teeth and covering them with crowns to support the bridge. This severely weakens those teeth and can lead to fracture, tooth decay, or infection over time.
Bridges also have an average lifespan of only 10-15 years. Bone loss can occur under a missing tooth due to the absence of chewing pressure on the jaw. The replacement tooth in the dental bridge provides no chewing pressure to maintain bone volume and cannot prevent bone loss.
Dental implants also do not require grinding down your healthy adjacent teeth. They provide the chewing pressure needed to maintain bone volume in your jaw and can last a lifetime when cared for correctly. They have numerous advantages over all other forms of tooth replacement.