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If you’re missing one or more teeth, dental implants can help to save your smile. Arguably, they are the most effective option to retain the integrity of your smile. Here are just some of the reasons why you should consider a tooth implant if you want to preserve your smile.
A Tooth Implant Permanently Replaces Teeth
Many other tooth replacement options are temporary. Dentures, for example, can be taken in and out of your mouth, and they need to be replaced every ten years or so. Dental implants, in contrast, are placed permanently into your mouth. They don’t slip or slide around, and they can last a lifetime.
Basically, they consist of a very small prosthetic tooth root made of titanium or another strong material. Then, a cap or crown is attached to that root. Note that the crown portion of the implant may need to be changed after fifteen or so years, but the root is permanent.
Matches the Look of Your Teeth
The cap portion of the tooth implant is designed to perfectly match your other teeth. A ceramicist customizes the tooth so that it matches the shape and coloration of your natural teeth. As a result, when someone looks at your smile, they shouldn’t even be able to tell that you have dental implants. They will just see one big, beautiful smile.
Preserves Other Teeth
Whether you opt for a single tooth implant or several dental implants, they don’t affect the other teeth in your mouth like bridges or some other options do. To explain, imagine you’re putting in a bridge. To attach the bridge, the oral surgeon usually puts a cap on each side of the bridge, and this cap fits over the two teeth on the edges of your bridge.
Protects Your Facial Shape
In addition to preserving nearby teeth, dental implants also help to preserve the shape of your face. Have you ever seen someone whose mouth and jaw appear to be quite sunken in? These people also seem to have dentures or no teeth. That look is the result of the progressive deterioration of the jaw bone. When you lose teeth and the jaw bone has no roots to hold and nurture, it essentially just begins to disintegrate. When you get a tooth implant, that changes. Because dental implants feature roots which go into your jaw bone, the bone stays in place, and as a result, you retain the chin line that frames your smile.
Works in a Variety of Places
Best of all, dental implants can fix almost any issues with your smile. They can replace a single missing tooth, two or more missing teeth in different parts of the mouth, or multiple missing teeth in a row. If you want, you can even put in the roots, but instead of putting on a cap, you can snap dentures onto the roots.
Dr. Abtin is a dental implant expert who has traveled the world to lecture and teach other oral surgeons about implants, and we have a certified anesthesia assistant on staff to ensure you’re always comfortable during the procedures. To set up an appointment to talk about saving your smile, contact us today.