Dental implants are the most natural-looking technique to replace missing teeth. With implants, you can eat, talk, and chew normally, without having to worry about your teeth shifting out of place. Implants are rooted in the jawbone, so they stimulate the bone to grow. Rather than interfering with jawbone growth, implants actually encourage it.
Dental implants, unlike other types of tooth replacement, replace the entire tooth. This includes the root. The dental implant consists of a screw-like root that is placed directly into the jawbone. During the healing process, the bone bonds with the titanium. This bond allows the new root to encourage the bone to grow in the same way the natural tooth root does. Whenever you chew, pressure is applied to the tooth, which in turn moves the root slightly, stimulating the bone tissue.
Other types of tooth replacement, such as dentures or crown and bridge, sit on the gum surface. They do not have a replacement root. Over time, without a root to stimulate it to grow, the jawbone will atrophy. The bone mass can decrease significantly, leading to the “shrunken” appearance commonly associated with missing teeth. If you have worn dentures for a number of years and want to replace them with implants, your oral surgeon will need to evaluate the health of your jawbone to be sure you have enough bone mass to support them.
Implants provide a variety of other advantages over dentures, crown and bridge, or other methods of tooth replacement. These advantages include:
In addition, your other teeth do not have to be modified or restructured in any way to accommodate a crown and bridge or wires to anchor a prosthetic tooth. Your jawbone remains healthy and growing, preventing changes to the shape of your face. In general, dental implants are the best, most comfortable and most realistic option for tooth replacement.
For more information about dental implants, contact our skilled oral surgery office at 702-367-6666 today.