Understanding The Benefits Of Dental Implants

Dental implants can restore missing teeth, transforming your appearance and giving you back your confidence. But they also offer a number of health and functional benefits that can improve your life in many ways.

Unlike bridges, which require the healthy adjacent teeth to be shaved or crowned to support the artificial ones, dental implants act like natural teeth and are completely independent. They also provide greater strength than traditional dentures, and when properly cared for, can last a lifetime.

The bone that supports natural teeth is remodeled to accommodate the root of the new tooth, making it a permanent part of your jaw. This process, known as osseointegration, takes months but ultimately gives your implant the stability of a natural tooth. Despite these advantages, it’s important to understand that not everyone is an ideal candidate for an implant. For this reason, you will usually have a comprehensive medical evaluation before beginning the procedure. Your doctor will take X-rays and 3D images of your mouth and jaw, and make models of your teeth and jaw.

A successful result depends on your general health and the condition of your gums and bones. If you have uncontrolled chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, long-term steroid therapy or previous radiation treatment to the jaw, they may interfere with healing and slow down or prevent successful integration of the implant. Likewise, if you are taking medications that can interfere with blood clotting or increase your risk of bleeding or infection, these must be stopped before the procedure begins.

Gaps in your teeth can lead to problems with chewing and speaking. In addition, food becomes stuck in these gaps and can cause digestive issues, including bloating and indigestion. Dental implants fill in these gaps and allow you to eat normally again, while improving your ability to speak clearly.

Dental implants are the most natural-looking replacement for missing teeth. The crowns that cover them are designed to blend in with your surrounding teeth, and with proper care can last a lifetime.

Dental implants are also more comfortable than alternative treatments such as dentures. They do not shift or click in place, and you can brush and floss them just as you would your natural teeth. While there are some risks to dental implants, such as failure, complications and infections, the success rate is very high for patients who have good oral hygiene habits and a healthy diet.