If you lose a tooth, there are reasons that you need to replace it:
- If you do not replace a missing tooth, your teeth around it can shift. It will put more stress on your jaw joints and other teeth and affect your bite.
- You can lose bone around where the tooth is missing.
- Having teeth missing can change the way you chew and speak.
- If teeth have drifted and tipped, they are harder to clean. It will put them at more risk for gum disease and tooth decay.
- If the missing tooth is in a lousy place, it can affect your looks.
Having a dental implant is almost as good as having a real tooth.
There is nothing that can replace your natural teeth, but getting dental implants is pretty close. You may not have heard about them, but implants have been used for several years. Man-made anchors are used that look a lot like screws made of titanium and other materials that are compatible with the human body. If it is a single tooth being implanted, it is placed by means of surgery where it the root of your missing tooth with be replaced; the implant will act and look like a natural tooth and will sit securely as you speak and chew.
How an Implant is Placed
How implants are placed will depend on your bone structure/anatomy, the tooth that is being replaced, and the type of implant. Some implants can take two to three appointments or maybe up to a full year to complete. There are some implants which will allow for a temporary crown to be put on the same day of your visit; it will take a team effort between you and your dentist to decide what is best for you.
The three or four basic steps most implants involve are listed below:
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- Placing the Implant
At All Smiles Dental Care we will surgically place the implant in your bone. There could be tenderness or swelling after the surgery is over, so you may be given some pain meds to help with the discomfort. All Smiles Dental Care might recommend you eat a diet of soft foods while your implant is healing.
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- Healing
This is the part that will help make your implant strong while your bone grows around it, holding it in place. Some will need to wait until the bone has grown around it completely and it has become wholly integrated before your dentist will put in a permanent replacement tooth. The healing time will all depend on the type of implant that All Smiles Dental Care in Phoenix uses and the location of the tooth replacement.
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- Putting in the New Tooth
To put in a single tooth, All Smiles Dental Care will have made a custom new tooth called a dental crown. The new tooth/crown is made based on shape, size, and color that will blend with the teeth around it. Once completed, the tooth will be attached to the implant screw (post).
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- Are You a Candidate for a Dental Implant?
Most of the time you will be a good candidate for this procedure if:
Your health is generally good – there are some chronic illnesses that slow down healing after having surgery, and it will prevent the implant placement from being successful.
Your jawbone can hold the implant – if there is lost bone in the area of your jaw, it might be that you could still get an implant; but there are times it will require All Smiles Dental Care to repair by bone grafting before the implant is placed.
You do not use tobacco – chewing or smoking might be a link to higher rates of implant failure.
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