Reclaiming Your Smile With Dental Implants
Losing a tooth can pose not just an aesthetic but also a functional problem. While there are a couple of known options to cosmetically improve your smile in the case wherein you’ve lost a tooth or two, they didn’t provide the same functionality of a natural tooth.
Alternatives to Losing a Tooth
Dental bridges. A bridge is a crown which is put in the place of the lost tooth by being attached to adjacent teeth. While bridges are able to conceal lost teeth, because the crown is anchored only by the neighboring teeth, the crown isn’t so sturdy and can easily be removed.
Dentures. Full dentures and partial dentures are able to replace multiple teeth and even an entire set of teeth. The only problem with dentures is that they are only kept in their place by the natural suction to the gums and can loosen up and fall off while eating or speaking.
Going for Dental Implants
Because of the structural problem with the above mentioned alternatives, dental implants have emerged. The best thing about dental implants is that they not only do a great job in creating an illusion that you have all of your natural teeth intact but these implants are also sturdy enough and are designed to perform all of the functions of a natural tooth.
Procedure. The procedure involves the drilling of a titanium rod into the gums and supporting bone structures on the site of the lost tooth. Titanium is chosen because this metal has the ability to fuse with the jawbone, adding to the structural integrity of the dental implant. Once the rod has been secured, a crown is then screwed in in order to give the appearance of a tooth.
Advantages of Dental Implants
Although dental implants are rather expensive, these reasons have made implants worth every penny:
Teeth Preservation. Because dental implants are secured by a rod that is drilled into the gums, the adjacent teeth do not have to be compromised. Dental bridges have to shave off a part of the adjacent teeth in order to have something that the inlays and onlays can latch on.
More durable. The manner of the rod fusing with the bone over time also makes dental implants stronger and able to resist the forces involved with biting and chewing. Finally, because the procedure is permanent, you do not have to worry about your implant falling off while you eat or speak just like you would with dentures.