Losing a tooth was adorable when you were six, but not anymore. Beyond aesthetics, if left unfilled, the resulting gap from losing a tooth can cause significant oral health and jawbone issues.
At Willow Glen Dental Center in San Jose, California, our team recommends dental implants to replace missing permanent teeth.
Here’s why.
Dental implants are a permanent and stable solution. Made of biocompatible, long-lasting titanium, a dental implant is an artificial replacement root surgically placed in your jawbone. It mimics a natural tooth root. Once the implant fuses with your bone, it’s topped with a porcelain crown.
Your crown is custom-tinted and contoured to fit seamlessly with your natural teeth. No one will be able to tell the difference.
Missing teeth can make chewing and talking more difficult. Bridges and dentures fill the gaps from missing teeth, but they can shift, slip, and rub when you’re trying to use your mouth.
Discomfort is a major drawback of those restorations. Once your implant is complete, you won’t even notice it.
Your teeth work together every time you chew and speak. If you have missing teeth, the gaps can change how your teeth and mouth function. Your other teeth can suffer increased pressure and wear. A missing tooth can cause neighboring teeth to turn inward or outward, becoming crooked.
Your jawbone holds your teeth in place, and healthy teeth keep the bone strong. When you have a missing tooth, the bone in that spot begins deteriorating because the tooth is gone. Bone loss can spread over time, loosening nearby teeth and changing the shape of your face.
A dental implant inserted into your jaw works like a natural tooth root to maintain a stronger jawbone. The implant provides your jaw with a surface to grow around, which encourages healthy bone growth and better oral health.
The cascade of oral health problems prompted by tooth loss may start with jawbone loss and shifting teeth and lead to excessive dental wear and bite misalignments, but that’s not where they end.
Left untreated, drifting teeth or an altered bite alignment can make it harder to reach certain spots when you brush and floss.
This explains why people who take longer to replace missing teeth are more likely to develop dental decay and periodontal (gum) disease, both of which can lead to further tooth loss.
Promptly replacing a missing tooth with a dental implant is the best way to preserve your oral health and prevent the inevitable problems — including cavities and gum disease — that happen when gaps go unfilled for too long.
Unlike dentures, you don’t remove your implants or need to soak them in a specially formulated solution every night. Dental implants require the same routine care as natural teeth: brushing, flossing, and regular checkups with your dentist.
If you have one or more missing teeth, learn whether dental implants are right for you. Contact Willow Glen Dental Center today.
