Dental implants are a replacement for a missing tooth, however they don’t just fill the gap in your smile. A dental implant can restore your quality of life by improving your oral health, keeping your smile aligned, making chewing and biting more comfortable, and can make you feel less self-conscious.
Dental implants are a stable tooth replacement option, but how do you know if you are a good candidate for one? Here are 3 signs you may need dental implants.
Broken teeth are often left untreated, but this can lead to poor oral health and infections in the long term. Likewise, if you have missing teeth and never get them replaced, you can also be leaving yourself open to oral health problems later on in life.
Missing or broken teeth can lead to tooth sensitivity, and infection in the jawbone. It can also affect the gum tissue and make it hard to eat some foods you used to enjoy.
If you experience the following symptoms, you may have a broken tooth:
Removing the tooth and getting a dental implant is a good option for cracked or missing teeth. Having all your teeth makes chewing and biting easier. It also reduces bone loss from occurring and helps to stabilize the teeth either side of the lost tooth.
Bone loss is not only bad for your jaw it can change the way your entire face looks. Teeth give the outward appearance of our face a lot of structure. When you lose a tooth the skin and muscle that cover it begin to sag and can make you look older than you are. In addition, a missing tooth can lead to shrinkage of the gums which puts you at a higher risk for gum disease.
Poor oral hygiene can lead to infections in the mouth. If not treated, or if they persist, the tooth may get to the point where it can’t be saved. In this situation, it may be better to have the tooth removed and replaced with a healthier option.
Tooth loss shouldn’t be treated as an inevitable part of aging. With good oral hygiene, regular checkups with your dentist, flossing and brushing twice a day, you can keep your real teeth well into old age.
There are some behaviours you might be doing right now, which can lead to damaging your teeth or are linked to poor oral hygiene habits.
Removable dentures can be a solution if you have more than one tooth missing. While they may feel like a quick fix, they require constant cleaning and don’t let you enjoy the same foods. Worse still, dentures that don’t fit properly can be painful. The discomfort of badly fitted dentures outweighs any upsides.
Dentures can shift around in your mouth and press on sensitive parts of your gums. A dental implant is securely inserted into your jawbone and won’t ever move. It functions just like a real tooth and doesn’t require any additional care, outside of brushing and flossing as you would with your real teeth.
Dental implants are a more permanent solution. Even though they may need to be replaced every 15 years, they require much less maintenance than dentures and won’t cause irritation.
If you have missing or cracked teeth, or dentures that are causing you discomfort, talk to us about getting a dental implant. Book now.