Benefits of Dental Implants
Port Angeles, WA
Dental Implants provided by Stephen J. Turella, DMD
in Port Angeles, WA at Turella Oral Surgery
 With over 120 million Americans missing at least a single tooth and over 36 million individuals without any teeth, it is unfortunately common to experience tooth loss. Implant dentistry has changed how people replace their lost teeth. Many issues can arise when you lose teeth and fail to replace them. From dental health to functional and aesthetic concerns, you are likely to deal with a myriad of problems if you don't replace missing teeth.
At Turella Oral Surgery, we are trusted by many for providing quality dental implants and improving people's smiles, bite function, and well as dental health. As you make the decision to visit us for dental implant placement, we want to give you some of the benefits that come with these restorations. It will help you make an informed decision.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Until you get dental implants, you may not discover the benefits they offer you. Many people get them because of their functionality and durability. However, there are also dental health-related benefits that are attached to these dental implants. Additionally, there are aesthetic benefits associated with replacement teeth like dental implants.
Introduction to Dental Implants
Before dental implants came as an option to replace missing teeth, dentists and surgeons relied on dentures and bridges. Today, there are many choices of dental implants and people can replace a single tooth, a few teeth, or even a whole row of missing teeth. Many people are benefiting from dental implants and switching from dentures or bridges because of the stability, endurance, longevity, and natural look of the implants.
Understanding Dental Implants
A tooth implant requires invasive surgery to mount the titanium or zirconia post into the patient's jawbone where the missing tooth used to be. The implant will now serve as an artificial root of the tooth. It supports the crown, hence providing a natural-looking and highly functional replacement tooth.
There are different kinds of dental implants ranging from full implants and mini dental implants to multiple implants or even All-on-4 implants. For those who have lost their entire set of teeth or need to have the remaining ones removed, they can choose All-on-4 implants. These utilize four implant posts to support a whole arch of teeth. Some of the benefits of dental implants include:
Long-Lasting Solution
Teeth replacement options like dental bridges may only serve you for about 10 years or so, however, dental implants give lifelong service. The reason dental implants are so durable is that they are fabricated from strong and biocompatible materials like titanium or zirconia. These materials are able to integrate with the jawbone through osseointegration. The body rarely rejects the material.
Improved Oral Health
With missing teeth, the spaces left serve as hiding places for debris, biofilm, deposits, and bacteria. The adjacent teeth to the empty space may start having gum disease and decay. Further, the remaining teeth are likely to shift and take up the empty space. As a result, you might have teeth misalignment. People with misaligned teeth have difficulties cleaning their teeth. They are prone to decay and gum disease. Dental implants help improve your oral health by tackling these challenges and ensuring that you can brush and floss easily.
Natural Appearance and Function
Another aspect that people love about dental implants is that they provide a natural appearance. They look like real teeth. A surgeon places the implant post in the bone. The implant becomes the root of the new tooth. There is also the crown, which is fitted over the implant post. As such, you have a tooth that looks and feels just like a natural tooth. Additionally, dental implants function like real teeth. Their biting and chewing power is just as good as that of natural teeth, if not better.
Preserving Facial Structure
Dental implants eliminate bone loss which is witnessed in cases where people don't replace missing teeth. Bone recession or resorption occurs because, after losing teeth, there is no stimulation done to the bone through chewing or biting forces. As a result, it stops growing and slowly gets eroded. In the end, you may experience some changes to your facial appearance such as a sunken-in look.
Enhanced Comfort and Convenience
Surgeons mount the implants on the jaw to enhance stability. Unlike traditional dentures that you remove from the mouth and sometimes irritate the soft tissues, dental implants are permanent fixtures. They are convenient and feel very comfortable in the mouth.
Eating and Speaking with Ease
With dental implants, you find it easy to eat and speak normally. There are no restrictions on what you can eat. You should be able to consume both hard and soft foods comfortably. Again, your speech ability improves significantly and you can now pronounce words more easily than when you don't have teeth.
Maintaining Oral Hygiene
Without teeth in the mouth, maintaining oral hygiene becomes a tall order. Debris, leftovers, biofilm, deposits, and bacteria lodge in the spaces of the missing teeth. This becomes challenging to clean these areas. Also, missing teeth can bring misalignment issues, which again make it hard to clean the mouth.
Bone Health and Stability
Dental implants help preserve the jawbone. Since implants are able to stimulate the growth of the jawbone, it helps keep the jawbone healthy. There is also improved stability of your teeth since the implants are mounted in the jawbone to anchor the replacement teeth.
Who is a Candidate for Dental Implants?
Those with sufficient bone and good oral health are considered candidates for dental implants. Again, those without chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease are also candidates. Surgeons have to check your dental and general health prior to tooth implant placement. Any issues like decay or gum infection are first treated. In the case of chronic conditions, they have to be managed first. Further, those with insufficient bone need to get bone grafting treatment to rebuild it.
Dental Implant Procedure
The procedure for placing dental implants starts with a consultation. The surgeon has to see that you are fit for the restorations. Once cleared to get implants, the actual procedure begins. The surgeon fits the dental implant surgically in the jaw. After several months, you receive the crown, usually after the bone heals and has fused with the implant post.
Schedule an Appointment Today!
To learn more about the benefits of dental implants and whether or not you are a candidate, visit us at Turella Oral Surgery. Contact us at (360) 912-8244 to book an appointment. |
