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Dental Implants

The Importance of Replacing Missing Teeth

By June 22, 2019December 16th, 2020No Comments
Dental Lavelle The Importance of Replacing Missing Teeth

Missing teeth can severely affect your daily life. When we lose one or more teeth, several things happen. First and foremost, if it’s a front tooth in the aesthetic zone, we lose confidence in our smile. So the importance of replacing missing teeth this can have a serious impact on our personal and professional lives, as we may avoid smiling in public altogether.

Many people do not understand the health complications that can arise from ignoring even one missing tooth. If you lose a tooth in the back of your mouth and it’s not very noticeable when you smile, you may think it doesn’t really matter. However, not only does your chewing efficiency become compromised, but your oral health quickly begins to suffer. A missing tooth leads to a cascade of events which involve the following:

  • Deteriorating jawbone volume and density: When teeth are lost, the bone slowly starts to resorb/shrink or recede, which can give a sunken and prematurely aged appearance to the face.
  • Neighbouring teeth begin to collapse in to this space becoming misaligned.
  • As teeth migrate in to the empty space, they alter the existing bite to a problematic one.
  • The stability and structure of your arches become compromised.
  • As a result of an unstable bite, jaw, neck pain, and headaches could result.
  • Loss of multiple teeth leading to issues with speaking and progressive loss of chewing strength.
  • As teeth move in to the gaps, they become harder to clean, increasing your risk of tooth decay(cavities), gum disease and eventually tooth loss.

These unwanted results can often be prevented if you are proactive about choosing and implementing a solution. Replacing a tooth sooner than later often avoids a number of complications that ensue after waiting too long. There are several options available for replacing a missing tooth. The traditional approach is to fabricate a denture or a bridge. However, there are a number of disadvantages associated with older techniques. The modality of recommendations in Dentistry to Importance of Replacing Missing Teeth or teeth have changed over the years with research and science to more modern, effective, and efficient options. This involves “Dental Implants”. Dental Implants offer numerous advantages over traditional methods and are a popular treatment with patients. They are the closest replacement to your natural tooth.

There are Dentists who are specialized in Implant Dentistry. They have gone through formal training and education beyond the basic requirements of Dentistry to plan, perform and deliver advanced care. Implants can be used to replace a single tooth, multiple teeth, or all your teeth!

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Once the dental implants have been placed in your mouth, it’s hard to tell them apart from your natural teeth. They don’t require reduction of the adjacent teeth, and they are fixed (only a Dentist can remove the crowns attached to Implants). People would agree that dental implants are a far more elegant solution than dentures, as there is never a need to remove or soak them. Cleaning them is as simple as brushing and flossing your other teeth and returning to the dentist for regular/routine check-ups.

How do I go about getting dental Implants?

Dental implants require a systematic approach to diagnosis, planning and execution. It is important that your Dentist performs a thorough comprehensive examination of your mouth. The standard of care involves specialized imaging called a Cone Beam CT Scan, which your Dentist can take or prescribe. This allows for detailed evaluation of your bone to determine if you are a candidate for implants. From here, depending on the training and expertise of your Dentist, your Dentist can virtually plan your treatment. Modern 3-dimensional software allows the Dentist to visualize your jaw and tailor a plan that suits you best. At times, a surgical guide can be manufactured which improves the treatment outcome and speed of treatment. Once implants heal, impressions are typically taken, and the teeth are custom made in a dental laboratory and then delivered.

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Hundreds of manufacturer’s are available for dental implants. It is very important that you understand the quality of product that your Dentist uses. The manufacturer and dental laboratory used during treatment are crucial to the success and longevity of dental implants

At Dental Lavelle, we have highly trained Dentists who can go over implant options for every age group. Function, aesthetics and health are a top priority for us. If you think that you might be a candidate for implants or have missing teeth, call us today. We’ll be happy to evaluate your teeth and determine which treatment is right for you!

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