Today, dental implants are the standard of care for patients seeking to replace one or more missing teeth.
An implant is a threaded, metal or ceramic post that is surgically placed in the jaw bone to substitute the root structure of a missing tooth.
Implants are used to replace a single tooth, several teeth or to support dentures. What makes an implant so strong is that the jaw bone fuses around it and holds it in place.
Did you know? Dental implants became commercially available in 1981. Today, 3 million people in the United States have an implant. The success rate of a single tooth dental implant is 95%.
A big benefit of dental implants is they serve to stabilize, protect, and preserve the surrounding teeth and tissue. A tooth’s root works to support the bone and tissue in the mouth. Unreplaced missing teeth are like when a book is pulled from the middle of a bookshelf, all the other books collapse around the space. With no tooth to support and stimulate the tissues, the bone is reabsorbed into the body and the surrounding teeth drift, altering the bite.
Another advantage of implants is that they last a long time. Did you know? The dental implant that was placed in the very first patient lasted more than 40 years, until the end of the patient’s life!
Implants restore your smile and your confidence, improve your oral health and eliminate discomfort. If a missing tooth is left untreated, serious complications can arise, sometimes leading to more extensive treatments in the future. Untreated missing teeth can cause:
- Changes in your bite
- Causes healthy teeth to decay
- Makes chewing difficult
- Shifts teeth next to and above it (drifting)
- Affects speech
- Causes bone loss
- Changes facial features
- May cause you to hide your smile
Talk to your doctor if you need to replace missing teeth. After a specialized exam, your doctor will work to help you find a solution that matches your needs.
