The Importance of Restoring Your Smile
Your smile is one of the most important things you can wear — and your teeth play a significant role in that. Your teeth help you chew your food, speak clearly, and give your face its unique shape. Additionally, your teeth make up your smile, one of the first facial characteristics people notice about you.
However, some people have missing teeth, altering their face shape and causing them to be less confident in their smiles. In addition, missing teeth can lead to a decrease in your oral and overall health. Dental implants are one of the most common solutions to restore the appearance of your smile while also offering various other health benefits.
What Are Dental Implants?
Implants provide a natural-looking smile while also improving your chewing, speaking, and oral health. During a dental implant procedure, a tooth’s root is replaced with a metal titanium or ceramic post. The post gets placed into your jawbone before an artificial replacement tooth or crown is added to take the place of the missing natural tooth.
According to the American Dental Association, millions of implants are placed each year. This popular restorative dental procedure is chosen by many for various reasons. Here are some of the reasons dental implants may be the right choice for you:
1. You Have Chipped or Missing Teeth
When you are missing a tooth or multiple teeth, the natural roots are no longer present in your jawbone. Missing teeth can lead to bone loss, changing the shape of your mouth and face. If the space where the missing tooth once existed is not filled, the teeth surrounding the gap in your mouth are at a higher risk of shifting to try to fill the space and at a higher risk of cracking due to increased force on each tooth.
If your tooth is severely cracked or chipped, a dental professional may not be able to preserve the natural tooth. This means that you may need a tooth extraction procedure followed by a dental implant if you do not want an empty spot in your mouth.
Putting a dental implant in place of the missing tooth will improve the aesthetic of your smile. Your periodontist can help shape the gum tissue to provide an ideal foundation for your general dentist to place your final crown.
2. You Have Loose Dentures
Dentures are another solution to missing teeth — however, they do not stay in your mouth at all times like an implant. This removable appliance helps restore your smile and fill out the appearance of your face. Those missing all of their teeth would benefit from a complete set of dentures, whereas if there are some teeth remaining, a partial set of dentures can stabilize the remaining teeth to replace the missing teeth. While dentures can help improve chewing and speaking, they are not always the best option.
Over time, you can lose jawbone structure when you are without teeth, and dentures begin to fit differently than they once did, leading to many oral health problems. Specifically, as you age, you may notice changes to your face shape and jaw alignment. If your dentures are ill-fitting, you may experience difficulty eating and speaking, irritation and inflammation, oral infections, and atrophy of your jaw.
Dental implants are the preferred solution to resolve any dental complications or the risk of your dentures falling out at inconvenient times. Implants are designed to last long-term, and facial changes become less of a concern.
3. You Have Trouble Eating
If you are missing teeth, often you will notice that it is harder to eat the foods you once enjoyed, such as salad or steak. Many people find themselves chewing on only one side of their mouth because of missing teeth on the other side. Dental implants can help replace the gaps in your mouth so you can enjoy a variety of foods and eat a healthy diet.
4. You Have an Infected Tooth
An infected tooth can be quite painful and cause a significant amount of discomfort. When you have an infection in your tooth, it is common to spread to the root, impacting your gums and bone. Your periodontist will likely try to preserve your natural tooth. However, some circumstances require the extraction of the infected tooth.
Once the tooth is extracted, a hole will exist in the bone where the tooth once was. This provides the opportunity for an implant to be put in its place. Implants should be treated like your natural teeth with regular brushing and flossing to prevent infection. There are some tips to making sure your brushing and flossing around implants are effective, which your periodontist can go over once your crown is placed.
5. You Are Insecure About Your Smile
When people are missing teeth or experiencing a sunken face, they tend to feel insecure about their smiles. Or, if you have dentures, you may also lack the confidence you once had. Dental implants are designed to restore your smile and make you feel proud to show off your teeth.
Washington Dental Implant Services at Four Rivers Periodontics and Implant Specialists
Our team at Four Rivers Periodontics and Implant Specialists wants to help you receive the highest quality dental implant solutions possible. To learn more about our Washington dental implant placement and site development services, contact us online or call (636) 242-6450 today.