Dental Implants
Are you missing one or more teeth? If so, you are not alone – more than 120 million adults in the United States are missing at least one tooth, and more than 36 million have no teeth at all. Many people who are missing teeth turn to dental bridges, partial dentures, and full dentures; while each of these tooth replacement options is adequate, they often leave something to be desired.
Getting dental implants in San Diego is an attractive option when it comes to replacing teeth.
When it comes to dental implants, age doesn’t matter: dental implants should last a lifetime with proper care. What’s even better is that taking care of dental implants is easy.
With the first dental implants dating back to the 1960s, dental implants are proven dental technology. Of course, dental implants have come a long way in the past 60 years. Today’s dental implants are more natural-looking, reliable, and cost-effective than ever.
A tooth has two main parts: the white crown that appears above the gumline and the root that holds it in place within the jawbone. A dental implant is a permanent replacement for a tooth’s root.
A dental implant features a metal post placed into the jawbone. In a process known as osseointegration, the bone fuses with the post. Osseointegration takes several months, but creates a sturdy anchor for a replacement crown. Your dentist will fit you with a temporary crown; once osseointegration is complete, your dentist will place the artificial crown.
While many people still opt for dental bridges or partial dentures, dental implants remain one of the best ways to replace a missing tooth because of the many benefits they provide.
While dental implants may seem expensive at first glance, they are actually more cost-effective in the long run. You’ll need to replace your dental bridges and dentures every 7 years, and get new partial dentures every 10 to 15 years, so you’ll be investing in tooth replacement for the rest of your life. Your dental implants can last forever with proper care, so it’s a one-and-done investment.
Because they fuse with your jawbone, dental implants are much more durable than other types of tooth replacement options. The titanium used in the metal post is strong enough to handle all the pressure your full bite can deliver while keeping the tooth replacement in its proper location.
When you bite down, you exert a considerable amount of force on your teeth. This force travels through the tooth and root, where it reaches the jawbone. There, the force stimulates a process known as bone remodeling, in which the body replaces old, weakened bone tissue with new, stronger bone tissue. Bone remodeling keeps your jawbone strong.
When you are missing a tooth, the jawbone where that tooth used to be no longer receives the stimulation it needs for bone remodeling. This means your jawbone can get weaker and smaller, which can change the shape of your face and even lead to the loss of more teeth.
Because dental implants act as artificial tooth roots, they transfer the force of chewing into your jawbone, thereby triggering bone remodeling and preserving your jawbone.
Even the best crowns and dentures look a bit artificial when seen from close-up – they just cannot compete with the natural look of dental implants. That’s because our dentist carefully designs the crown to mimic the shape and color of the natural tooth it is replacing. The strength of the dental implant allows you to bite and chew as you would if the tooth had never come out.
Perhaps the best part is that your dental implants will never slip and slide around in your mouth like dentures – dental implants remain securely in place, just like a natural tooth.
Dental implants never get cavities, so they’ll never need a filling or a root canal. Unlike dental bridges, you don’t need special tools to brush and floss dental implants. What’s more, dental bridges require removing a small amount of enamel from the two abutting teeth, so that they can serve as anchors for the bridge – dental implants preserve the abutment teeth.
Dental implants traditionally fill in the gap left behind by one or two missing teeth. However, dental implants can hold replacement teeth for all or most of the teeth the entire upper or lower jaw, in an option known as implant secured dentures.
Implant secured dentures are halfway between dental implants and dentures, in that one or more implants hold a full or partial denture. These dentures snap into place and remain secure as you smile, talk, and eat.
Dental implants are largely used to fill in a gap of one or two teeth. Yet if you have your entire upper or lower set of teeth removed, you still have options for using implants to get a secure fit. The key is using dentures that attach to a number of implant posts in your gum tissue. These dentures snap into place and stay put as you chew, smile, and talk.
For more information about dental implants and implant secured dentures, speak with your dentist in San Diego. Dental implants can change the way you smile – forever.