According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fewer than 50% of adults living in the United States have a complete set of permanent teeth, not including wisdom teeth. Unfortunately, the chance of tooth loss only increases as you get older. Because of the nature of these statistics, it means that there’s high demand for tooth replacement options.
For many years, the only solution was dentures, which are still commonly used today. Dental bridges are another option, but like dentures, bridges only replace the crown — or the top — of the missing tooth. These older technologies don’t replace the whole tooth, including the root.
This is where dental implants come in. This three-part system is the strongest and longest-lasting tooth replacement method on the market, and it’s quickly being established as the new standard for tooth replacement. Emmanuel Aguilar, DMD, and the team at American Dental Clinic in San Diego, California, are dental implant experts, so we’ve come to understand the questions that our patients have. So, we dive into five of the most common concerns here in this blog.
Dental implants are able to mimic the structure, appearance, and function of your natural teeth. Whereas bridges and dentures only replace the top of your tooth, dental implants replace the whole thing, crown and root. Each implant is made up of three parts:
Dental implants are flexible and provide one-on-one replacement for missing teeth.
Porcelain and ceramic crowns have been used for many years to provide a natural looking tooth replacement, which is why these same materials are used for the visual portion of your dental implants. The other two parts — the abutment and post — are hidden beneath the gums, so you don’t have to worry about those looking unnatural.
By far, implants provide the most natural appearance of any tooth replacement method.
The quick answer is yes; however, that’s a good thing. Your natural teeth move around a little when you bite or chew, which stimulates your jawbone. When your jawbone is stimulated, it causes new bone tissue to be generated, keeping it healthy. But, dentures can’t provide this stimulation, and this can lead to deterioration of bone over a long period of time. On the other hand, implants fuse together with your jawbone and stimulate new bone growth just like natural teeth.
After your mouth has healed completely from surgery, you can care for your dental implants just like you would your regular teeth. Brush and floss twice a day and see your dentist for cleanings every six months. As long as you take good care of your implants, they should last you at least 25 years, if not longer.
The dental implant process takes several steps to complete. You may need bone augmentation surgery before you actually get implants to make sure there’s enough bone to anchor the implants to. After this, you’ll have an appointment to place the titanium post. Once the post has fused with your jawbone, the abutment and crown are placed on top.
Even though getting dental implants is a long process with many steps, many people find the results worth the wait.
Contact American Dental Clinic to find out more about dental implants and learn if they’re right for you. You can schedule your appointment by phone or on our website today.
