Whether you’ve had one tooth or multiple teeth knocked out, extracted, or fallen out, you’ll need to consider the replacement for the tooth or teeth. It’s extremely important to replace missing teeth, as not doing so can lead to a lot of major oral health issues in the future.
You may be considering different replacement options, including bridges, dentures, or dental implants. If they are an available option for you, you will definitely want to consider dental implants.
Below is more information about what dental implants are, the types of implants, the advantages of dental implants, and more.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are replacement options for one or more missing teeth. This form of tooth replacement involves the placement of one or more titanium rods into the jawbone of the patient to hold a prosthetic in place.
What Are Implant-Supported Dentures?
Often when people think of dental implants, they think of single implants. While these implants are great for replacing one tooth, they may not be the best option for replacing multiple teeth. For the replacement of an entire row of teeth, you may want to consider implant-supported dentures.
Implant-supported dentures are essentially a hybrid of traditional dentures and dental implants. With this form of teeth replacement, dental implants are installed into the jawbone to hold dentures in place. Like traditional dentures, these false teeth can be removed for cleaning and other purposes.
What Are All-on-4?
All-on-4 are another replacement option intended to replace a full row of teeth. Unlike implant-supported dentures, all-on-4 can’t be removed by the patient. This provides additional security but makes it more difficult if you need to take your dentures out.
What Are Implant Bridges?
Implant bridges are similar to traditional bridges, with the main difference being how the bridge is held in place. Instead of reshaping surrounding teeth to hold the bridge in place, an implant or multiple implants are used. This provides additional strength and it allows the patient to maintain the integrity of surrounding teeth (as they don’t need to be reshaped).
What are the Benefits of Dental Implants?
There are a lot of benefits of dental implants. Some of these include:
· Strength and Durability. Bite strength is very important. We all love being able to eat our favorite foods without concern. Dental implants are strong and durable—allowing you to eat your favorite foods without worry.
· No Teeth Shifting. Dental implants are helpful in preserving your healthy teeth, as they prevent teeth shifting. What many patients don’t know is that having a missing tooth or teeth can lead to shifting over time. This shifting leads to impacting, crookedness, and crowding. Implants prevent teeth migration, which helps with preserving the surrounding teeth.
· Maintains Oral Health. Teeth shifting isn’t just a cosmetic issue—it’s actually bad for your oral health. When your teeth migrate, it makes it that much more difficult to take care of your oral health. Brushing and flossing can be a lot harder with crooked or crowded teeth. In turn, you may develop gum disease, tooth decay, root infections, and more. Dental implants prevent migration, which makes it easier to maintain your oral health.
· Improved Smile. We all love smiling wide. With that said, a gap in your teeth may make you more reluctant to smile. This can affect your mood and confidence. Dental implants fill the gaps in your smile, allowing you to smile without worry.
· Preserved Facial Appearance. Did you know that your jawbone can deteriorate without a tooth or tooth replacement? This deterioration can cause a “sunken-in” appearance. Dental implants help to preserve the jawbone and—in turn—the appearance of the patient’s face.
· Long-Lasting. Dental implants are a lifetime replacement solution. The implants themselves fuse with the jawbone of the patient. While the prosthetic tooth or teeth will need to be replaced, the implants should last a lifetime.
Am I a Candidate for Implants?
Whether or not you are a candidate for dental implants will depend on a few factors.
One factor is the cost. Implants can be expensive—especially when multiple teeth are being replaced. With that said, they are a good investment and long-term solution.
You’ll also need to consider your insurance coverage. Some companies cover a portion of the implant procedure, but many do not.
Finally, you need to take the integrity of your jawbone into account. If your jawbone has deteriorated over time, you may not be a candidate for dental implants. You may have the option of a bone graft or sinus lift procedure to improve the integrity of your jawbone, but this will be an additional expense.
Schedule an appointment for a consultation with Dr. Mark to learn more about whether or not you are a good candidate for dental implants.
Why Forest Hills Dental?
Forest Hills Dental is a top provider of not only dental implants but dentistry services overall. We take a customer-first approach and do everything we can to make the process of visiting our offices as simple and comfortable as possible.
Forest Hills Dental prides ourselves on our mixture of high-quality care and affordable rates. We want to provide you with the care you deserve at a rate you can afford.
Dr. Mark is the head of our team, and he has over 30 years of experience in the field. You can trust that he will place your implants with the highest degree of professionalism and care.
Reach Out to Forest Hills Dental Today!
Whether you are considering the placement of a single implant or an entire row of teeth, reach out to Forest Hills Dental today. Dr. Mark will take a look at the area, including an inspection of your gums and jawbone. From there, he will determine if you are a candidate for dental implants.
We look forward to speaking with you and helping you with the process of having your missing tooth or teeth replaced.
