Dental implants are prosthetic replacements for missing teeth. Natural teeth are made up of the root and crown. The crown is the visible part, covered with white enamel. Reinforcing the crown is your tooth’s root, which goes into your jawbone. A dental implant replaces the tooth root. You can use implants to replace one tooth, many adjacent teeth, or all missing teeth in your jaw, depending on the amount of jawbone available and your final restoration. However, not every patient qualifies for the treatment, and your qualified dentist can help determine whether you are eligible. This article discusses different instances when you should consider getting dental implants.
You Must Have Adequate Bone Density
One vital consideration before the surgery is bone density. If you do not have enough bone density, your implant will not integrate effectively, damaging your mouth more.
Bone density is the measurement of the strength and mass of bones. Adequate bone density provides a strong foundation and stability, so your implant remains in place. Your implant might fail or refuse to fuse appropriately with insufficient bone density.
So, what happens if you have inadequate bone density?
Dental health advancements allow your dentists to determine the best technique depending on your implants' number, type, and location. These techniques include the following:
- Bone grafting — The procedure involves using your bone to add mass and density to your jaw.
- Zygomatic implant — This implant is an alternative to bone grafting and replaces teeth in your upper arch. It is popular among patients who want long-lasting results and fast recovery.
- Subperiosteal implant — If you have a narrow, weak, or damaged jawbone, a subperiosteal implant can benefit you. Instead of being in your jawbone, this implant is tailored to your mouth’s shape and sits over your jawbone beneath your gum tissues.
You Have a Missing Tooth or Teeth
A dental implant is a suitable solution for a missing tooth; it fills the gap left by the missing tooth. It replaces the tooth root of a tooth with metallic screwlike posts and replaces missing or severely damaged teeth with an artificial tooth that functions and looks like a real one.
It also blends with the color of the rest of your natural teeth. So you will not have to worry about the dental implant appearing fake.
You Do Not Smoke
While you can get a dental implant if you are a smoker, smoking can adversely affect the success of your treatment. Before the procedure, your doctor should assess your general health and discuss potential risks.
Here is what could occur if you smoke and undergo the surgery:
- Slower recovery — Smoking restricts blood flow to the jawbone and gums, slowing down the recovery following the treatment. It could also make fusing your implant with your jawbone more challenging.
- Increased risk of implant failure — Chemicals found in cigarettes, including nicotine, can weaken your jawbone, making osseointegration harder. Smoking also increases the likelihood of developing infections. Some signs of dental implant failure to watch out for are bleeding gums, severe pain, difficulties while chewing, a loose implant, gum recession, and swelling at your surgical site.
- Greater chances of developing peri-implantitis — Peri-implantitis happens when tissues around your implant become inflamed and infected. Developing peri-implantitis could result in implant failure and the need for additional surgery.
- You are more likely to suffer from periodontal disease.
- Smoking disrupts your salivary gland function and affects the salivary flow rate — A dry mouth is a breeding ground for disease-causing bacteria and could cause loose teeth, calculus, and gingivitis.
If you are a smoker, you can lower the risks and increase your surgical procedure’s success by:
- Stopping smoking weeks before the treatment
- Joining a support group and working with your dentist to help you quit smoking and increase your implants’ longevity
- Visiting your dentist regularly for dental cleaning and examination to detect issues with the implant early
- Practicing proper oral hygiene habits like flossing and brushing
- Avoiding triggers
You Have Eating and Chewing Difficulties
Teeth break down food into small, digestible particles. A gap in your teeth could compromise digestion and affect your ability to eat and chew different food textures comfortably. If you find yourself avoiding specific foods or feeling pain when chewing, it might be an appropriate time to contemplate implants. Your dietary changes and the gap could lead to the following issues over time:
- Wear and tear on your gums — When you have a missing tooth, your gums overwork to compensate for the gap. It could cause gingivitis, inflammation, and irritation. Over time, the wear and tear on the gums could cause tooth sensitivity and discomfort.
- Nutritional deficiency — When you have missing teeth, you are limited to eating soft foods. It could cause nutritional deficiency and affect your general health because your body is not getting every nutrient required to function well.
- Digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bloating, indigestion, and stomach ache
- When your teeth fail to break down food into smaller particles, the stomach produces excess acid to break down the huge food particles, resulting in acid reflux. In the long run, acid reflux can cause soft teeth, enamel and stomach lining erosion, and tooth decay.
- Increased chances of choking while swallowing — People with fewer teeth are likelier to choke than those with many.
Unlike dentures, dentists anchor dental implants firmly in your jawbone, offering stability and permitting you to continue eating foods you enjoy without limitations. With implants, you can restore confidence in eating effectively and maintaining a healthy diet.
You Have Loose Dentures
Your gums change shape to fill gaps where you previously had teeth. Over time, your dentures can loosen and shift around. Dentists recommend that patients realign their dentures regularly and replace them after eight years.
On the other hand, implants are firmly screwed onto the jawbone and become part of you. They are comfortable, and you do not have to worry about your dentures falling out when eating or taking.
Your Facial Appearance Has Sunken
Individuals with dental dentures typically have a sunken facial appearance around the mouth and chin. Dentures do not stimulate the jawbone to promote the regrowth of essential tissues. Your jaw could also regress or lose bone, creating a sagging or sunken appearance and making you look older.
The remedy to this issue is getting implants because they encourage jawbone regeneration. Dental implants appear and feel like natural teeth. Your smile will not be any different, so your implants will blend well with the rest of your teeth.
You Want to Fix Your Speaking Challenges Caused by a Missing Tooth
Speaking requires coordination between muscles and oral structures, like the tongue, vocal tract, teeth, cheeks, and lips. While some oral structures play more significant roles than others, every structure plays a role in speech production.
A perfect way to understand the impact of missing teeth on speech is by looking at your child’s tooth development. If your infant has started articulating and speaking words, their speech can be affected when their baby teeth begin falling out, and their permanent teeth are yet to erupt. Words that your baby could pronounce well are now disrupted.
Strident sounds are some of the sounds that missing teeth affect. Airflow friction against your teeth causes these sounds. They include words like zoo, fish, sew, shoe, vet, and chin. Other affected sounds are those articulated from your mouth’s front, between your lower lip and upper teeth. They include the “th” sounds.
Dental implants replace the gap, restoring your teeth’s functionality and enhancing your standard of living.
You Experience Constant Tooth Pain
One primary indicator that you require a dental implant is constant tooth discomfort or pain. The discomfort could stem from different issues, including infection, decay, or trauma. Implants become a reliable alternative when traditional treatments like root canals or tooth fillings become ineffective. Replacing the decayed or damaged tooth with an artificial tooth root or prosthetic can reduce pain and restore dental function.
You Want to Improve Your Compromised Mental Health
Individuals with missing teeth might feel self-conscious or embarrassed about their appearance. They could avoid socializing or smiling, resulting in feelings of loneliness, depression, and isolation and affecting their well-being, mental health, and overall health.
You Want to Avoid Gum Disease and Tooth Decay
When you have a gap, neighboring teeth can shift and become misaligned or crooked, making it difficult to clean hard-to-reach regions properly. These regions can trap bacteria and food debris, leading to gum disease and tooth decay.
You Want to Prevent Bone Loss and Deterioration After Losing a Tooth
Most people do not know that losing a tooth could impact the area of your mouth where it sat, including bone loss. Your alveolar bone, which supports teeth, could start deteriorating when a tooth is lost; contact with teeth causes daily growth and bone stimulation. When you have missing teeth, the alveolar bone becomes weaker, and your cheeks could eventually sink.
You Have Some Severely Cracked Tooth or Teeth
Although dentists always work to save some parts of the natural tooth structure, it is advisable to remove it if the tooth is broken or damaged beyond repair. Dental implants could be an ideal replacement option since they look and function like natural teeth and could help you regain your smile.
Some patients, with time, forget they have a dental implant.
You Do Not Qualify for Other Dental Procedures
Depending on the exact tooth you want to replace, the shape of your mouth, and the condition of the rest of your natural teeth, other oral procedures may not be appropriate for you. For instance, bridges or dental dentures are not the most suitable option if one tooth is missing. Dental implants are ideal for individuals who want to replace teeth no matter the number, on top of encouraging tissue regrowth in the jawbone.
You Want to Prevent Gum Recession
A receding gum line exposes your teeth’s roots and could be a warning indicator of an oral issue. If the supporting bone structure erodes, teeth become loose, and you might eventually lose them. Replacing your tooth root with implants offers stability and prevents teeth from shifting. In the long run, this prevents gum recession.
You are Willing to Commit Many Months to the Dental Procedure
Although the dental procedure can take up to five months, the duration required to complete the treatment varies due to many factors. It involves the placement of the surgical implant and the placement of the final crown. You should expect the duration of the treatment to increase if you require bone grafting or your extraction site needs recovery.
During your initial consultation, your dentist will decide if you are eligible for the procedure after conducting an examination that reviews your medical and dental history. They will also design impressions of the teeth and gums, which helps when creating your teeth models. They can use dental X-rays of the jaw to view the gap better.
The procedure for placing dental implants involves many steps, including:
- Removing the damaged tooth
- Preparing your jawbone if grafting is necessary
- Dental implant placement
- Bone growth and healing
- Placing abutment
- Artificial tooth placement — Once the dentist places the dental implant, they fix an artificial tooth or crown on the gap left by the missing tooth. The dental crown is designed to match the rest of your teeth.
You Want to Prevent Chronic Halitosis
While different factors can cause bad breath, chronic halitosis can be associated with dental issues, like untreated cavities or gum disease. Implants can remove the root cause of the infection, resulting in enhanced dental hygiene and freshened breath.
Find a Proficient Dentist Near Me
A missing tooth can substantially affect your functionality and appearance, and dental implants stand out as an ideal treatment option. If you have noticed any of the above signs, you should be proactive to restore your quality of life, general health, and dental health. Lasting Impressions Dental Spa can analyze your dental history to determine whether implants are the most effective treatment option for your goals and needs. Your optimal dental health is a call away at 818-751-5100. Our Encino-based dental team is ready to answer your questions and guide you to achieve your dream smile
