Everything You Need To Know About Getting A Dental Implant

If you have lost a tooth or if you've had a tooth become severely damaged, then you may need to have it replaced. This is important for preserving both the aesthetic and structural integrity of your smile. Two of the most common options for tooth replacement are dental bridges and implants. Following is everything is everything you need to know about having a dental implant installed.

To start, structures like these can prevent a lot of future damages from occurring to your smile. For instance, whenever a natural tooth structure is lost, all of the remaining teeth in the mouth are required to work much harder. This invariably results in more wear and tear and a far greater likelihood of additional tooth loss.

The additional wear and tear that the remaining natural teeth sustain often results in chips, cracks and stress fractures. These are basically entrances that allow harmful bacteria in. This is why people with missing and broken teeth have a much higher likelihood of both tooth loss and infections. You should also note that having missing teeth, especially in conspicuous locations, can deal a tremendous blow to a person's self-confidence. Due to the increasingly appearance-conscious nature of most consumers, missing teeth can also make people a lot less marketable in the social and professional arenas as well.

Also Read This: What to do if your child has a painful, wobbly tooth

Another major before of having an implant installed is being able to improve your chewing and talking abilities. Depending upon the location of your missing tooth, enunciation might be quite difficult. Once this structure has been restored, you will be able to speak your words clearly and can confidently convey your thoughts and emotions in every setting.

While dental bridges are simple, non-invasive structures that are affixed directly to the teeth that surround the area of damage, implants are installed directly into the jawbone. This is done via a titanium post that the body eventually grafts into the bone. Once this post has stabilized, the prosthetic tooth replacement can be screwed directly onto it.

Due to the nature of this treatment, it is generally best for people to have a health and stable foundation for supporting their titanium posts. This means that the jawbone should not be significantly deteriorated at the time the procedure is performed. If it is, it may be necessary to have bone grafting in order to build the jawbone back out.

Certain life habits can diminish the likelihood of success with these procedures. This is especially true with smoking. Smoking diminishes blood flow to the gums and other oral structures. This in turn limits the body's natural healing abilities in these regions. Thus, you want to replace a missing tooth with an implant, your dentist may advise you to quit smoking first.

These structures look and function just like natural teeth. In fact, you can also care for them in much the same way. Best of all, the results of successful implant treatments can last for many years as long as patients are careful to practice careful maintenance and care and to receive regular dental check-ups.