How healthy are your teeth? Although many people are quick to underestimate their dental health, the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of different elements that play into overall dental wellness. From how often you brush and floss to how regularly you attend regular checkups, it is important to stay in close communication with your dentist, especially if you come down with a new symptom. The purpose of this website is to help people to understand and resolve dental issues, since small symptoms can lead to big problems down the road. Check out these posts to learn more about dental care.
If you are missing a tooth, your dentist may give you a few options for how to go about replacing it. You can have a dental bridge installed, which uses the surrounding teeth to suspend a fake tooth between them. Partial dentures can be used to slide into the spot where the tooth once was. However, you may find that surgically inserting a dental implant into your jaw bone will be the best option for long-lasting results. Here are some reasons why people choose this method to replace their missing teeth.
Permanent Results
One thing about dental implants that makes the replacement method so popular is that it is permanent. The tooth will stay in your mouth at all times and become a natural part of your jawbone due to the titanium post fusing with it. You don't have to worry about the health of other teeth like you would with a bridge, or having to remove the tooth like you would with partial dentures.
Easy Care
Caring for a dental implant is the same as caring for a natural tooth. You do not need any special tools in order to clean it since all you need to do is brush and floss like normal. Even though the tooth is fake, brushing and flossing are critical to its overall health. There is always the chance that you could have a gum infection, which would impact a dental implant in the same way it would a natural tooth.
Jaw Bone Stimulation
Many people do not realize that the titanium post of a dental implant acts like the root of a real tooth. This gives the jawbone stimulation that it needs in order to stay healthy. If you placed a bridge or partial denture in that spot, the jawbone may become weak over time and start to deteriorate. This will affect the health of the surrounding teeth and have a domino effect that affects remaining teeth that are healthy.
Natural Looking
A dental implant is going to look completely natural to others when they see the tooth, which may be crucial if you need a front-facing tooth that shows all the time when you smile. You'll have more confidence when you smile around others, rather than trying to hide a fake tooth that doesn't look right.
Consult with your dentist for more information about dental implants. They can help you understand if using one will be the right choice to fix your missing tooth.