Struggling to smile? Missing teeth—whether due to an accident or extraction following severe tooth decay—can severely impact one’s self-confidence. But more than looking and feeling good, the longer missing teeth go without replacement, the more they impact overall nutrition and oral health.
But thanks to the latest advancements in dental care, you won’t have to go without a gap in your smile any longer. Dental implants can replace missing teeth, restoring your healthy and beautiful smile—looking and functioning like natural teeth.
Did your periodontist recommend dental implants to restore your smile, and give you back strong and healthy teeth? Find out what makes dental implants the go-to treatment for successful tooth replacement:
What are dental implants?
Dental implants provide the structure for replacing missing teeth permanently with artificial teeth. Note that an implant is not the replacement tooth itself. Rather, it’s an artificial root that will anchor the new tooth in place.
Dental implants are typically made of titanium, and implanted into the jaw bone. The implant itself is a small titanium post that, once fused with the jawbone, is attached to an artificial, but natural-looking and functioning dental crown—essentially, your replacement tooth.
This state-of-the-art tooth restoration treatment. Because it’s anchored to your jaw, it provides extremely stable support for attaching replacement teeth. In fact, in certain situations, one implant alone can be used to support multiple dental crowns or teeth, making it incredibly efficient and cost-effective when you have several missing teeth (or all).
Dental Implants vs. Dentures and Bridges
Dental implants are the latest tooth replacement treatment. You’ve likely heard of, or even tried other methods, like dentures or bridges. However, none of these can come remotely close to the strength, renewed quality of life, and overall value that implants can offer.
For one, dentures are not only removable but with a poor fit, can easily fall off. You may not even be able to bite down or chew and talk as you normally would with a full set of teeth because of these, for fear of falling out or breaking. This is because they’re not anchored or implanted in place the same way that implants permanently are.
Similarly, dental bridges may not be nearly as strong as dental implants. Bridges are cemented on adjacent teeth to support an artificial dental crown where a missing tooth would be. But because they’re attached to adjacent teeth, they only work when these teeth are strong enough to support the bridge. This is a problem when you have several missing teeth, and impossible when you have none left.
Why You Need Dental Implants
It’s true that other tooth restorations and replacement treatments are often more affordable than implants. And with otherwise healthy adjacent teeth, you may still be able to enjoy a relatively improved quality of life. But if you have several missing teeth or want to talk and eat as you should and get the best value for life, dental implants provide a permanent solution—as if you never had missing teeth at all.
Here’s every reason why dental implants offer the most comfort, ease, and function:
- Dental implants look and function like natural teeth
Only dental implants make it possible to have permanent artificial replacement teeth. That’s because implants are fused to your jawbone, providing essential support for anchoring a replacement dental crown. This makes your new teeth as strong and well-supported as natural ones, so you can smile, talk, and eat with complete confidence.
- Prevent bone loss
Did you know that missing teeth can lead to bone loss? To remain healthy, jawbones—like any other bone in the human body—require constant stimulation, provided by natural teeth. But with even one missing tooth, the bone can start to degenerate, which impacts its ability to support remaining tooth structures.
With dental implants, bone loss can be prevented. This is because titanium fuses with the bone, which strengthens it. With implants in place, the jawbone is stabilized, allowing it to support remaining healthy teeth and maintain your facial structure.
- Support adjacent natural teeth
Another reason periodontists recommend dental implants is due to their ability to support remaining healthy, natural teeth. Since implants stabilize the jawbone as discussed above, they can also help support the roots of remaining natural teeth. They’re stand-alone replacements that don’t rely on adjacent natural teeth for support.
You won’t get the same added benefit with dentures and bridges. In fact, bridges can even weaken adjacent natural teeth over time and make them susceptible to tooth decay, since the bridge relies on them for support. Dentures also work similarly, which can cause adjacent natural teeth to loosen.
- Easy dental care
Since dental implants support replacement dental crowns that look and function like natural teeth, all you need to do is follow the basics of good oral hygiene. Just brush and floss regularly, and visit your dentist or periodontist for regular check-ups and cleaning. Simply, they’re no different at all from natural teeth—no special creams and adhesives, or soaking in a glass overnight, as you would with dentures. Plus, having implants means you’ll never need a filling or root canal since they won’t decay.
Talk to Our Periodontists in Mississauga About Dental Implants
Can’t talk or eat normally, and feeling self-conscious due to missing teeth? Tired of dentures falling out, or worried about the strength of dental bridges? Periodontal Associates can help.
Our periodontists in Mississauga can replace your missing teeth for good with dental implants. We’ll talk to you about your dental concerns and assess your oral health to make sure that dental implants are right for you. We’ll also provide all the information you need, and show you how dental implants last a lifetime, so you can smile, talk, and eat confidently with natural-looking and 100% functioning new teeth.
Book a consultation with our periodontists in Mississauga today. Find out how dental implants can restore your healthy, beautiful smile.
