Losing a tooth can be a pretty devastating experience for anyone. After all, the plan was to keep all your teeth intact for the rest of your life. Whether you lose a tooth due to dental trauma or decay, the result is the same. You’ve got a gaping space in your mouth, and you feel like it’s the only thing that people see when they look at you.
First, the Good News
Missing teeth are unattractive, and they can have a serious impact on your lifestyle. You may find it difficult to speak properly, and eating certain foods may be impossible. Worse yet, missing teeth can play havoc with your overall oral health.
But before we tell you any more bad news about missing teeth, it’s only fair to start by letting you know that, at Deep River Dentistry, we can eliminate the potential for these problems with dental implants, a highly effective tooth replacement option.
That Problematic Little Space
Have you ever lost a tooth and noticed that, over time, adjacent teeth start to shift into the empty space? Then surrounding teeth gradually follow suit, starting a cascade of unwanted results.
Your teeth move out of proper alignment, leading to an “unbalanced” dental bite. This causes you to bite down harder on one side than the other. This unnatural force in turn leads to problems like excess wear on your teeth and possibly TMJ.
All that because of one little missing tooth!
Life Inside Your Jaw
When your tooth is intact, its root goes about the business of helping to stimulate bone growth in your jaw. If you lose a tooth, you obviously lose the root, and all that lovely natural regrowth comes to a halt.
When this happens, the process reverses itself and the jawbone starts to deteriorate. You won’t feel this happening, but the result is a gradual shift in your dental bite and even a change in your facial appearance.
Dental Implants to the Rescue
Dental implants have truly revolutionized our approach to dealing with missing teeth. Until recently, the only option we had was to use a bridge or partial denture to hide the empty space. But a dental implant actually replaces the missing root, eliminating the two unpleasant problems mentioned above.
The secret to the success of dental implants is a very small titanium post that is placed in your jaw. What makes titanium so special you ask? Titanium is what is known as a biocompatible material.
In very basic terms, this means that it plays nice with surrounding bone tissue, and ultimately the two form a very secure, long-term relationship. After this bond has been established, a dental crown is attached to the implant and, voilà, you’ve got a beautiful new tooth!
Once the process of placing your dental implant is complete, you end up with a brand new tooth that resumes the work of your natural root, looks great, and allows you to flash that beautiful smile with confidence.
Looking to Replace Missing Teeth in High Point?
Dental implants are pretty amazing, but there are certain cases where they are not the best option. There’s lots more to tell you about dental implants than we can cover here, so please call our office, and we’ll be happy to arrange a convenient consultation.