Dental Implants are used to permanently replace lost teeth. The procedure involves embedding a titanium screw (the dental implant) into the bone of the jaw, Over time the jawbone integrates with the implant surface, firmly anchoring it. A crown or replacement tooth is then inserted onto the dental implant.

Why bother replacing missing teeth?
Tooth loss is not just simply the problem of not having one of your teeth. It can lead to other more serious problems.

Your teeth act as a solid unit for chewing and eating. When one tooth is missing, your entire mouth is weakened without it. What may start as a simple missing tooth can snowball into a mouth full of gums! It is critical that you see a dentist to repair your missing tooth!

The bone around your tooth is stimulated daily by eating and chewing. Without a tooth in the active process of biting and chewing, the bone around its former root can wear away. As this wears away, the surround teeth are more likely to move around.

Over time your teeth drift and shift creating a less appealing smile. Even worse, this drifting can change your bite patterns, which can be painful and often lead to difficulty chewing and speaking. If still left untreated, your remaining teeth can crack and chip due to this shifting. Besides the pain that these situations can cause, they can lead to additional tooth loss. Eventually, they it can even alter your jaw and even your facial features.

Losing all of your teeth can have some serious consequences. Without teeth, the bone around them will begin to wear away, changing your facial features. The lack of active chewing will cause you to lose muscle tone. Without your teeth the chew food, your diet and nutrition will also suffer. Additionally, you may have difficulty speaking.

Solutions for a missing tooth
Dental Implants are the best solution for replacing a single missing tooth. After the implant is placed, a replacement tooth or crown is fixed onto the dental implant. The crown is made of porcelain or composite material that is as hard and durable as your own teeth. The material looks and feels like a natural tooth. Because they are anchored in your jawbone, they act as a permanent replacement tooth. The ligaments and bone in your mouth and jaw hold the implant in place. It becomes integrated with the tissues around it. This strengthens not only the bond your implant has, but also strengthens your entire mouth. There is no additional care required for your implant, you would brush and floss your teeth as you do now.

More serious tooth loss cases
Many people turn to dentures to fix issues with missing teeth. Dentures are a good option and can be a very cost effective solution to the lack of teeth. However, they do have some drawbacks. Because they are not a permanent fix part of your mouth, they can shift and cause discomfort. If food gets trapped between your dentures and your gums, you run the risk of fungal infection. They may also require frequent realignment and may make it more difficult to taste some foods. Lastly, dentures require additional care and maintenance.

Dentures, used in concert with dental implants, can provide a hybrid solution that will replace your teeth and still provide the strength and hold that you need for eating and chewing. In cases like this, a series of dental implants are placed into your mouth. The implants act as anchors for your dentures. The dentures would still be removable for cleaning and sleeping with the implants providing a place for the dentures to lock into place, providing a stronger bond with your jaw bone.

At the Family Dental Center, we use some of the most cutting edge dental technology in the implants we create including the use of Straumann Dental Implants and CEREC One-visit dentistry. These technologies in particular help our dentists create better implants as well as cut down on the time you spend in our office. To read more about how these and other tools we use can impact your experience with us, check out our dental technology section.