Dental Implants - One Missing Tooth

Attractive, natural looking teeth help us feel and look our best. We are able to enjoy the foods we love, when we want. They allow us to be ourselves, confident where it really counts; at home, on the job, on the playing field, but most importantly and especially, on the inside.

The loss or damage of even a single tooth can have a considerable impact on everyday life and self esteem. The immediate solution to a lost or damaged tooth is replacement. When a front tooth is lost one rushes to the dentist to have it replaced. Why then do we wait when it is a tooth not visible when we smile? Is it less important? The answer is NO, yet many lost teeth go many years without replacement.

Ignoring these gaps has a more considerable negative effect than you may even realize. When we chew, a healthy tooth strengthens the quality of bone in our jaw; similar to how exercise prevents bone loss. When a tooth is missing, healthy teeth tend to shift towards the open gap due to bone loss. This affects how our upper and lower teeth meet and align. It also affects how pressure is applied on the existing teeth and surrounding muscles and joints. Additional pressure may result in pain and various other symptoms such as headaches or migraines.

Dental implants have been used and accepted by dental professionals for over 40 years as a proven and trusted method of tooth replacement. Implants are made of biocompatible materials, namely titanium. As a result they are accepted by your body and allergic reactions are very rare. With proper care and good oral hygiene your implant can actually last a lifetime.

The sooner your tooth is replaced after loss or damage the better. The condition of your bone in the jaw is crucial. Adequate bone is necessary for implant placement. As time passes, the bone in the area of the missing tooth begins to resorb or diminish, reducing the “prime retail space” for the implant as an anchor. In many cases it is possible to build up the boney area to permit optimal implant placement and integration.

Your adjacent healthy teeth are spared any dental treatment when you opt for implant replacement; because unlike conventional bridges, there is no need to grind down those beautiful natural teeth. Your implant will be comfortable and feel just like your other teeth matching in color and contour.

In ideal cases, implants can be placed in as little as one session. However, your treatment plan will be dependent on your particular clinical situation. Depending on the treatment procedure, it may take between one and two hours for the implant placement. Afterwards, the implant needs time to integrate so that it can fuse with the bone. This is why the quality of the bone is so important when placing implants; the better the bone quality, the better the conditions and shorter integration periods. Once the implant has integrated, preparations for the final restoration may commence.

The custom made precision crowns are fabricated using biocompatible materials and are attached to the implant using cement or tiny screws. The crown is your new tooth, looking and feeling like your own. Ensuring proper oral hygiene and keeping up with professional dental check ups will result in your implant lasting for many years, possibly up to an entire lifetime.

Adapted from Nobel Biocare USA LLC., www.nobelsmile.com