It’s no fun to have spaces in your smile caused by missing teeth. It can leave you feeling self-conscious and reluctant to smile, even when you’re around the people closest to you.
Of all your available options for restoring the gaps in your smile, none of them provides the combination of beauty, comfort, and health benefits you get with dental implants.
Thanks to recent advances in technology, dental implants are now available to more patients than ever before and they can be used to restore any number of missing teeth.
Living With Missing Teeth
As Dr. Kevin Kremer in Chico, California explains, living with missing teeth is detrimental to your health. In a healthy smile, your teeth act as placeholders, preventing one another from shifting out of position. But missing teeth allow your remaining natural teeth to move around, irritating your gums and making you more susceptible to gum disease.
Missing teeth create spaces where plaque and tartar can accumulate. This can also lead to gum disease, a serious dental infection, because the bacteria that cause gum disease feed on plaque and tartar.
If left untreated, gum disease can cause pain, bleeding, swelling, bad breath, and eventually, the loss of teeth.
Furthermore, recent research has uncovered links between gum disease and a number of serious health risks, including strokes, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental Implants are “metal posts or frames that are surgically positioned into the jawbone beneath your gums.” These posts, also known as implant fixtures, can be used to support a restoration that replaces one or more missing teeth or even a whole arch.
Dental implants create a stable foundation for your restoration — that’s how they provide the remarkable comfort and chewing power that you won’t get with any other type of restoration. Dental implants also improve your oral health by stimulating the growth of your jawbone.
Single-Tooth Restoration
A single-tooth restoration typically consists of three parts: The titanium fixture works like the root of your natural tooth, securing the restoration to your jaw. Thanks to an amazing process known as osseointegration, the bones in your jaw will develop a secure bond with the fixture.
The implant abutment is the middle section, connecting the fixture to the crown. Your attractive implant crown will be placed on top of the fixture, completing the implant process. Crowns are usually made from porcelain, a durable material that sparkles in the light the way a natural tooth would.
Multiple-Tooth Restorations
If you’re looking to restore more than one teeth that are nonadjacent, your dentist can use individual implants. These prosthetic teeth are custom-made to match your natural teeth, so they’ll blend in perfectly with your smile.
If you have more than one adjacent tooth to restore, your dentist may elect to use an implant supported bridge. This type of restoration contains prosthetic replacement teeth known as pontics. Your new implant supported bridge will make eating fun again and it’s virtually invisible to the people around you.
Full-Arch Restorations
Implant supported dentures are an outstanding solution for patients who want to restore a whole arch of missing teeth. Dr. Jon T. Flint in Meridian, MS features attractive implant supported dentures that will make eating a lot easier while giving you a beautiful smile that you’ll feel proud to share with friends and loved ones.
In many cases, it’s possible to place your implant supported dentures using immediate load dental implants. That means you can start wearing an attractive and fully functional temporary prosthetic on the same day you have your implants placed.
As soon as your jawbone has completely assimilated the dental implants, you’ll return to your dentist’s office so they can place your natural-looking permanent restoration.
Replace an Arch in One Day With All-on-4
All-on-4 is a highly innovative treatment for restoring an arch of missing teeth. The All-on-4 process only requires four dental implants to attach a prosthetic denture.
With All-on-4, there’s never a need for bone grafting — instead, your dentist will secure your restoration by placing the implants directly into the jawbone at strategic angles for enhanced stability.
Another advantage with All-on-4 is that all your surgical procedures are performed in just one day, including any extractions. To make the process more comfortable, dental sedation is typically employed during All-on-4 implant placement.
During implant surgery, you’ll be provided with a natural-looking temporary prosthetic to wear until the bones in your jaw have completely integrated with the dental implants. Then your dentist will provide you with your permanent restoration.
Your healthy and attractive new smile will always stay in place, so you’ll be ready to eat and smile in public again without concern for your appearance.
What Are You Waiting for?
If dental implants sound like the right solution for your missing teeth, the next step is arranging a consultation with a qualified implant dentist. For example, Dr. Helios Houenou offers a free consultation to his patients in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Dr. Houenou is an experienced implant dentist who’s recognized for his achievements by three separate credentialing organizations, the ICOI, the IADI, and the AAID.