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What is a Dental Implant?
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Dental implants are changing dentistry. Your dental professional can stop bone loss, stop teeth shifting, and increase your ability to chew, without relying on neighboring teeth. A dental implant can help keep your bone healthy and allow for a single replacement tooth, or serve as an anchor for multiple teeth replacement. This rapid and exciting advancement in dentistry is sweeping the nation as the best option for replacing missing, damaged, or unhealthy teeth. With decades of research, clinical studies have shown the long-term success of dental implants to be the most successful dental restoration, with a 98% success rate even after 20 years of being in place.
A dental implant is a metal post that your dentist or surgeon can surgically install into your jawbone. It is not a tooth but will serve as a replacement tooth root that a dental crown, a bridge, or a denture can be anchored to.
When are dental implants needed?
Dental implants are used to replace a tooth root allowing a replacement to be placed. Patients use them to:
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Replace a single tooth:When a patient loses a tooth, it may seem insignificant, but the effects can be great. Immediately, the patient will begin to lose bone mass in the location where the tooth is missing. There will be a 25% decrease in size the first year. At that point, there will be a visible difference in the look of your facial shape, often known as a sunken appearance. Next, the open space is subject to neighbor teeth shifting. This shift may not seem bad, many dentists remove teeth to allow for space, the difference is that the shifting will be out of a dentist or orthodontist’ |
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s control. When a dentist or orthodontist removes teeth, it’ |
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s because they have a plan, and that plan will include guiding the neighboring teeth to the position desired. Missing teeth allow for space for neighboring teeth to begin to roam. The effects of roaming teeth can be costly and painful. A common dental disorder from changes in the bite is known as TMJ dysfunction. When a bite is out of alignment, which can occur from teeth shifting, this can cause the jaw not to be able to open and close properly, can cause clicks or a tired feeling in the jaw, can cause facial pain including ear pain, eyebrow pain and even migraines. Dental Bridges can stop teeth from shifting, but it will not stop the bone from absorbing. To keep the bone strong, the pressure from chewing needs to be transmitted through a root and to the bone. A dental implant serves as a replacement tooth root. |
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Replace multiple teeth:Using multiple dental implants, dentists can anchor your choice in dental devices. They can stabilize dental bridges, partial dentures, and full dentures permanently in your mouth. This will help keep your bone healthy, stopping the rapid appearance of aging that comes with tooth loss, and increase your ability to chew and speak clearly. Implant retained dentures vastly improve your function, your comfort, and your look. |
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