Everything You Need To Know About Dental Implants

Dealing with missing teeth is something that a majority of people have to do at some point in their lives. However, dealing with missing teeth is never an easy task. A lot of people wonder what the steps are to effectively deal with missing teeth. Below, we will discuss dental implants and we will be going over what makes it a good option for those that are considering getting them.

What Is It?

“A dental implant is an artificial tooth that is surgically aligned and placed in your mouth. It is implanted into your jaw and made up of bone-like materials,” says Dr. Farnham, a dentist who offers dental implants in Jacksonville. He continues, “That way, your jaw accepts the material and fuses with your bone to better support it. There are different kinds of implants that you could get and we’ll cover a few of them in this article.”

Advantages Of Implants:

1. No Shifting.

Perhaps one of the main advantages of getting implants is the ability to not have to worry about any sort of shifting. Because you are going to have greater stability with it, it is not going to be something that you have to regularly worry about. Also, because it is going to fuse with your jawbone, it can feel as though it is your natural tooth given it being surgically placed and attached.

2. Cleaning.

The cleaning of implants is going to be largely the same as you would a normal tooth. There are not going to be any extra things that you have to do in order to keep your implants clean like you might have to do with other options that you would be considering. Because implants are not removable, you don’t have to worry about taking them out like you would dentures.

3. No Support Required.

Because the entire process involves your jaw fusing around the implant, you are not going to have to worry about wearing down your teeth next to the missing gap. Whereas, when you end up using other methods of replacing a tooth, you would have to worry about your surrounding teeth getting damaged or moved because of it. With implants, the tooth requires no extra support from the neighboring teeth which means that you will be able to avoid having to damage or mess with your other teeth.

4. Prevents Shifting.

Because you are going to be able to effectively fill the gap left by your missing tooth, it will help to prevent any sort of shifting that would naturally occur if you were to leave the missing gap alone. If you have a gap in your mouth, your teeth naturally move to try to close it. By filling the gap with an implant, you will not have to worry about that happening.

5. Better Looking.

Another good thing that you are going to get when you invest in something like an implant is the ability to have a much better looking solution to your missing tooth. Unlike other options, an implant is going to provide you with a good way to cover up the gap. Because it can look as if it is a real tooth unlike other options, it is an ideal solution for many that want to retain their smile.

Downsides:

1. Cost.

The primary downside to a dental implant is the cost factor. If you are going to be getting a dental implant, you are likely going to have to be willing and able to shell out a lot of money for it. The procedure itself is going to be costly versus some of the other more budget-friendly options that you might be thinking about going with. As long as you are willing and able to pay the extra cost, it is the preferred method for a majority of people that are looking for a solution.

Overall, there are a lot of things that you are going to want to become familiar with when you are trying to figure out whether or not a dental implant is the best option. While it is going to be a much more expensive solution to a missing tooth than other options that you might be able to choose from, it is going to be a preferred option for a lot of people because of the many advantages that it comes with.

How To Tell If You Might Need Dental Implants

If you have had teeth pulled or are likely going to have teeth pulled, you may be in the market for something called a dental implant. This is a replacement tooth that is put directly into your head, with a bit of re-enforcement, that keeps you from having to use dentures and from having bone loss that is typical when a large number of teeth are being pulled. This isn’t going to work for everyone and unless you know that you are a good candidate, your dentist might not even suggest it, however, you might want to bring it up the next time they talk about pulling a tooth.

The first requirement is, of course, going to be that you have some teeth missing or that at least one is going to be pulled. The minimum number of teeth that need to be missing for an implant is one, so if you need at least one tooth, then you will likely be able to get an implant done. People who are missing a large number of teeth may find that they have too many missing for the work to be done, so it is better to ask about them sooner rather than later.

Asking before work is done will allow a dentist to make the necessary adjustments to the work that they are doing to try and make sure that you are a good candidate. If the extraction is a particularly tricky one this might add a bit of time on to the procedure, and maybe a bit of cost, but it will end up saving you in the long run. The prep work will involve making sure that the bone is strong enough to handle the implant and that your other teeth are in good enough condition to have it put in place as well.

If you have generally good dental health you will likely be a good candidate as well. This is because the implant will need to be taken care of like other teeth. You will need to brush and otherwise take care of your teeth like you always would to prevent any issues from happening with the new tooth.

Finally, you will likely be a good candidate if you are able to bite hard foods without any problems. Jaw pain when you bite hard foods may indicate that you won’t be able to receive one of these implants. However, this is not always going to be the case. Jaw pain may just be from the cavity that you have, from swelling, or from other issues that don’t indicate an issue with your jawbone. X-rays taken by your dentist will tell you if there are any problems preventing you from getting an implant.

Implants are one of the best ways to preserve a smile and to keep you from having problems with eating and other tooth-related activities later in life. There is very little difference with how an implant and a real tooth act, and once the implant has fully healed most people can’t tell the difference.

At the end of the day, the only person who can truly tell you if you will be a good candidate for dental implants is going to be your dentist. However, most dentists will be more than happy to work with you to ensure that you can get an implant and that you can maintain your smile without the addition of dentures and the messy creams that accompany them in your life. If you are going to have a tooth pulled, ask your dentist if implants are the way to go.