A dental implant is a metal frame or post that is surgically placed within the jawbone under the gums. After it is in place, we can mount a replacement tooth onto it.
Keeping your natural teeth is the ideal situation, but that is not always possible. When it comes to replacement teeth, nothing can beat dental implants for a number of reasons.
Dental Implants Prevent Bone Loss
Your teeth function properly when they have a firm foundation provided by natural tooth roots that are embedded within the jawbone. Whenever a tooth is missing, the bone that once supported that tooth begins to deteriorate. Known as resorption, this process leads to bone melting away, which has implications for your appearance and health.
Bone loss due to a missing tooth can change your appearance by leading to a collapsing or caving in of the bone and gums in the area. This can actually make you appear much older than your actual age.
Dental Implants Protect Adjacent Teeth
Whenever you have a missing tooth, not only will surrounding bone deteriorate, adjacent teeth also tend to drift into this missing space. This causes a variety of gum problems and impacts how your teeth function and fit together.
Your new dental implant functions as a substitute tooth root, offering a firm foundation for replacement teeth without involving neighboring teeth. Other tooth replacement methods can never fully replace tooth roots that are missing. They may require altering neighboring teeth for the placement of a bridge or partial denture, which compromises the health of these teeth.
Dental Implants: Proven Success Rate
Your new dental implant is designed to last a complete lifetime. Dental implants offer the most successful tooth replacement method with a documented 95 percent success rate.
According to the American Dental Association, bridges only last around 10 years on average. The main reason is that bone under the bridges are more prone to decaying and fracturing since there is no tooth root to encourage the retention of bone in the area.
If you need dental implants and are in the Mesa, AZ area call us today for a FREE Dental implant consulation