Smile Big

Missing one or more teeth can make anyone feel uncomfortable about smiling, eating, or speaking in public. Over time, people begin to feel isolated and lose self-confidence. This can lead to avoiding social situations which can impact your quality of life.

Dental implants are a life changing solution to replace missing teeth. Whether you have a single missing tooth or an entire set, dental implants restore your appearance, speech, nutrition, oral and general health, and self-esteem. The goal is to smile big, eat what you want, and be confident.

Why replace missing teeth?

The more teeth that are missing, the more negative impact this can have on your health. Having gaps due to missing teeth will cause shifting and changing in the bite. Over time, this will affect the ability to chew properly and can alter diet and nutrition.

When a tooth is lost, the bone loss may happen where the bone beneath shrinks away. When this happens, the skin around the mouth does not have the support it needs, and it will start sagging, giving a premature aging appearance.

There are several options to replace missing teeth. However, dental implants are the only solution that will prevent the bone from melting away.

Are there options other than implants to replace missing teeth?

Yes, there are several options.

A removable option such as dentures, partial dentures, and flippers can be adequate for short term cosmetic solutions. However, the denture is not fully secured and can cause speech problems, discomfort, gag reflex, and difficulty chewing and eating. With a removable denture, the jawbone will continue to shrink.

A dental bridge is a fixed solution that is secured in the mouth, but it does present some problems. In order to place a dental bridge, at least two teeth around the space will be filed down and capped. Over time, those supporting teeth may be weakened and are more susceptible to decay. It is also more difficult to maintain home care hygiene with a dental bridge than single teeth.

Replacing a single tooth with a dental implant procedure has advantages over other options. The dental implant is anchored in the bone, giving you a tooth that feels and looks natural. You can floss around the implant tooth, so it is easier to maintain over time. Dental implants are the only solution that will prevent the bone from shrinking away.

Single and Multiple Teeth replacement

Implants are considered the gold standard for replacing missing teeth. Advantages of dental implant teeth are they cannot decay and will never need root canal treatment. In order to have a dental implant, your dentist will not need to remove healthy tooth structure on adjacent teeth.

The implanted tooth has three parts:

• Implant – a synthetic tooth root, commonly referred to as a screw that is placed in the jawbone and beneath your gums
• Abutment – the part that connects the implant and the crown
• Crown – the part that you visibly see when you smile

The process does require minor surgery. However, implant placement is far less traumatic than removing a tooth. Once an implant is placed, it requires 3-6 months of healing time before the permanent tooth can be placed on the implant. No worries, you do not have to go without a tooth. There are options for temporary teeth that are placed during your healing time.

Silver option- Removable implant-supported denture

For the removable implant option, typically at least 4 implants are placed on the upper jaw and 2 implants are on the lower jaw. The denture can now snap on and off the implants and can be removed by patients for cleaning.

1. Patients report 70% of normal, healthy function with removable implant supported teeth
2. Sedation options are available for a more relaxing surgical visit
3. Patients will never go without teeth throughout the whole process
4. A lower cost treatment compared to the gold option
5. Existing dentures can often be used to snap onto the implants
6. No need to cover the palate to stabilize the denture.