Are you missing a tooth or several
teeth? It’s a problem that affects millions of North Americans, but many
of those people do not immediately understand all of the related
problems that a missing tooth can cause.
When you lose one or several teeth you
begin to realize just how important each tooth is. The importance of
each tooth becomes even more noticeable over time. As bone loss occurs
in the jaw bone where the root of the missing tooth would have been, and
teeth above and adjacent to the missing tooth begin to shift and tilt
inward throwing off your entire bite position.
When it comes to replacing missing
teeth, the traditional treatment in dentistry has been bridges or
dentures. The challenge with both of these solutions is that they do not
solve the problem of bone loss. With the invention of implants,
virtually all of the challenges of tooth loss have been addressed – and
the best news is that these have over 40 years of track record as a
treatment option.
As you contemplate dental implants as an
option to replace one or several missing teeth, here are some facts
about them to help inform your decision:
- They stimulate the jaw bone in a natural way
To highlight an important outcome of
this procedure, it is the only restorative dental treatment that will
prevent bone loss and at the same time promote bone growth. Since they
act on the bone in a similar way to the roots of a tooth, the bone
continues to be stimulated and therefore it regenerates itself
naturally.
If tooth loss is left untreated, or in
the case of traditional approaches utilizing bridges or dentures, bone
loss will occur and the patient will begin to experience structural
changes in their face. Over time, the jawbone will shorten, which will
cause cheeks to cave in and the face to appear prematurely aged. This
effect can be completely avoided.
- They are very durable
Oral care and hygiene are still
essential to maintain the health of the gums, surrounding teeth and
overall health of the mouth and body once you have them. Once this is
successfully placed, it is very durable because the titanium, as well as
the crown are resistant to decay and can never develop a cavity – which
leads to the next point.