Are Dental Implants Worth All the Hype for Replacing Lost Teeth?

If you have any interest in dental health, you have probably already heard about dental implants. They have been an incredible part of restorative dentistry, garnering attention from dental experts and patients alike. Tooth loss should no longer limit your confidence if you consider dental implants.

What Are Dental Implants?

They are small metal posts made of titanium that replace tooth roots when you lose your natural teeth. Dental implants in Harrison, ON, provide a permanent solution to tooth loss as the titanium metal Post integrates with natural bone tissue. However, tooth implants do not work independently. Your dentist at Harriston Family Dentistry will install a dental crown over the tooth implant to complete the procedure.

What Should You Expect During a Dental Implant Procedure?

As you prepare to replace your lost tooth with an oral implant, understand that the treatment entails surgery. Therefore, local anesthesia and sedation are paramount before beginning the implantation procedure. Local anesthesia will numb your mouth to make the treatment pain-free. Sedation dentistry will relax and calm your body and brain to assure a smooth surgical process.

Once the medication kicks in, your dentist will begin the implantation process. The dentist will first make an incision on your gums before drilling the jawbone to make room for the dental implant. The hole should be just enough to house the titanium metal Post. Once the dentist erects the implant in your jawbone, (s)he sutures the gums to begin the healing process.

It will take about three months before your mouth is ready to receive a different dental appliance to crown the implanted tooth. The period is necessary to allow integration of the metal Post with natural bone tissue.

When Do You Need Dental Implants?

Dental implants near you are accessible if you have a tooth missing. Usually, dental implants are ideal for replacing one tooth at a time. Your dentist will recommend a technique called all-on-4 implants if you have multiple missing teeth in a row. It utilizes a few dental implants to replace multiple teeth.

Still, some factors can restrict you from receiving dental implants even if you have missing teeth. They include:

1. Gum disease – particularly in its advanced stage, periodontitis.
2. Bone loss
3. Underlying health problems – specifically those that impact your bone health, including cancer and osteoporosis.

If you insist on getting dental implants, your dentist would have you undergo bone grafting surgery to rebuild your bone tissue. Some patients would also need gum grafting surgery to repair damaged gums. Either way, your dental implant surgery will have a longer timeline than usual.

Should You Still Get Dental Implants?

The benefits of dental implants are compelling enough to have many people willing to undergo the necessary surgeries to get them. Some of the compelling reasons for getting dental implants are:

1. They are sturdy – dental implants feature a metal framework erected in the jawbone and held in place by the gum tissue. While no oral appliance can rival the sturdiness of natural teeth, dental implants come close.
2. They are bio-compatible – even though dental implants are metallic, you will not need to worry about allergic reactions. The reason is that titanium is a biocompatible material that integrates well with natural bone tissue.
3. They are durable – dental implants last longer than all other oral appliances for replacing lost teeth. You can keep your implants secure for more than 20 years if you care for your oral health well. Many patients keep their implants intact for the remaining period of their lives.
4. They preserve bone tissue – when you lose natural teeth, the jawbone suffers because of inactivity. The body slowly begins to reabsorb the bone tissue. Replacing teeth with dental implants presents bone degeneration, preserving your jaw’s health.
5. They look and feel like natural teeth – since dental implants feature both a root and a crown, they are more life-like than other tooth replacement appliances in dentistry.
6. They promote optimal functionality – dental implants have a comfortable fit and feel like natural teeth, promoting great oral functionality, regarding chewing, speaking, and biting.
7. A high success rate – dental implants stake up to 98% success rate in tooth replacements. It means that very few cases of dental implant procedures fail, particularly if the patients are of good body and oral health.
8. They benefit aesthetics – you no longer need to be self-conscious about the gap in your mouth due to lost teeth. Further, dental implants improve facial and bone features, optimizing your jawbone height to promote great aesthetics.

Conclusion

Ultimately, no one can entrap you into getting dental implants if you do not want them. You must show enough interest to visit a dentist nearby for a consultation regarding tooth replacement with dental implants.