Losing a single tooth may not have you worried, especially if it’s not visible when you smile. However, the damage rarely limits itself to a single gap — the loss of one tooth can have a devastating domino effect.
Concern over your missing teeth is not about being vain, it’s about your oral and overall health. What many people don’t realize is that when you lose teeth, there are consequences to your anatomy. You may experience bone loss in your jaw, and your facial features may change.
Dr. Lovely Manlapaz Teodoro at the Dental Center of Hercules specializes in caring for all your dental concerns, which includes solutions for your missing or damaged teeth. Whether you opt for crowns, bridges, dentures, or dental implants, she can evaluate your unique situation and offer you the most effective plan or treatment.
Here are some of the reasons many of her patients are choosing dental implants to close up the gaps in their smiles.
Dentures and bridges can certainly cover up what’s missing in your mouth, but they do come with a downside.
For all types of removable dental appliances, they can shift around in your mouth if they aren’t secured properly. Sometimes, other people may be able to notice that movement when you’re talking or chewing, which may make you feel self-conscious. Dentures have even been known to pop out completely.
Dental implants don’t have those problems. They anchor securely to your jawbone with a small titanium rod. They stay permanently secure so you can chew your food and chew the fat without worries of embarrassing moments.
Because dental implants become a permanent part of your mouth, there’s no need (and no way) to take them out for cleaning.
Dentures need to be removed every night for a good scrub and a soak in a special solution. But your dental implants are just like your real teeth. Brush and floss them regularly to maintain optimal oral health.
One of the reasons missing teeth are such a big deal is that when you lose a tooth, or a row of teeth, the jawbone where they once were attached starts to deteriorate. Your mouth was designed to have all your teeth in place, regularly biting and chewing, which stimulates bone growth.
The titanium rod that is used to secure your dental implants acts like a tooth root and fuses over time with your jaw. Eventually, it becomes a permanent part of your anatomy, and your jawbone stays healthy.
Many denture wearers complain about changes in their speech patterns due to slippage of their dentures. You may tend to move your tongue differently to keep them in place, which alters the way you form your words. The additional thickness of the appliance reduces the amount of space in your oral cavity and may make it necessary to relearn some pronunciation techniques.
Dental implants, on the other hand, eliminate this concern as they take up no extra space and are permanently secured. Most people never notice a difference in eating, chewing, or speaking, and neither do those who observe them.
All adults are meant to have a total of 32 teeth, but many folks past the age of 50 have lost one or more due to infection or injury over the years. Dental implants are a great solution that are very likely to last the rest of your life — in fact, in more than 98% of patients, they do just that.
Dentures, in contrast, need to be relined or replaced every 10 years.
If you have a tooth (or teeth) missing and you’re ready for a permanent solution, call our office or click the “Book Online” button here on our website to schedule a consultation with Dr. Teodoro soon.
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