For the millions of people who experience tooth decay or tooth loss every year, dental implants can radically improve their smile and the overall quality of their life.
If you think that you or someone you know may be a candidate for this replacement technique, here are five key facts you should know:
1. Any Tooth Can Be Replaced
The science behind dental implants is complicated, but the technique itself isn’t difficult to understand. Essentially, a dentist replaces a damaged or missing tooth with a prosthetic piece that is connected directly to the patient’s jaw. This technique can be used to replace any individual tooth, several adjacent teeth, or an entire jaw.
2. Implants Are Secure and Non-Removable
Unlike dentures or other replacement techniques, dental implants are not removable. They stay in place 24 hours a day, just like a natural tooth would. Most don’t require any maintenance beyond normal brushing and flossing, and regularly scheduled trips to a dentist. In essence, once the prosthetic tooth or teeth are in place, they can be treated exactly the same as any other tooth.
3. The Technique Can Prevent Further Damage
For those experiencing bone decay in their teeth and jaws, a prosthetic tooth can halt that process and prevent the loss of additional bone material or teeth. When the prosthetic tooth is grafted onto the jawbone, it stabilizes the surrounding bone and halts the process of bone loss. For this reason, the technique is not only reactive to existing damage, but also preventative of future damage.
4. Prosthetic Teeth Look Natural
In generations past, replacement teeth were most often fashioned out of silver, gold, or another metallic substance. This made the teeth highly durable, but it also made them conspicuous and they did not look natural. More recently, medical researchers have developed artificial compounds that are equally durable, and can be tinted to match the color of your natural teeth. This makes newer implants virtually undetectable, and much more attractive than older replacement teeth.
5. Prosthetic Teeth Are Adaptable to Meet Your Needs
Candidates for Palm Coast FL dental implants come from all walks of life, and require prosthetic teeth for many different reasons. Some people have suffered sports-related injuries or other facial traumas, which caused them to lose teeth. Others have experienced a gum disease, which caused localized tooth decay. Still others have experience major decay throughout an entire jaw, and need all affected teeth replaced.
Implants can effectively address each of these problems. When a patient opts for tooth replacement, the dentist will carefully craft a replacement that fits their mouth exactly. A simple consult with a dental care provider will tell you whether replacement is appropriate for your situation.