Replacing Multiple Teeth with Dental Implants
Attractive, healthy teeth play an important role in our general health and well-being. You look and feel confident when smiling and laughing with friends and family, anytime and anywhere. Strong teeth enable you to eat your favorite foods; so important when maintaining a healthy diet. Dental implants are an ideal solution for those who have lost multiple teeth due to trauma, or because of periodontal disease, or decay.
Even with good dental care, many older people face the loss of multiple teeth as they age. Having many missing teeth is not only a problem for how you look and feel, but can also be detrimental your health. Replacing these teeth is very important. The three basic options to replace several missing teeth are Implants, Dental Bridges and Dentures.
Dental Implants
Implant-supported teeth are permanently fixed in the mouth, unlike removable appliances like dentures. They don’t slip or click, and there is no worry about them moving or falling out when speaking, eating, or participating in activities. And because dental implants are placed directly into the bone, they help preserve the jawbone and prevent bone deterioration. Dental implants look, feel, and function like natural teeth, and can last a lifetime.
Better Than Dental Bridge
In the past, traditional tooth-supported bridges have been a primary method for replacing several missing teeth. However, using a bridge has several drawbacks:
- The bridge must be supported by adjacent healthy teeth, which must be ground down and capped to place crowns.The crowns which are placed on the healthy teeth will support the bridge across the space where the teeth are missing. The capped teeth are weakened in the process, and often fail over time, creating more dental problems.
- The bridge does not address the problem of bone loss. The bone in the area where the teeth are missing will continue to deteriorate and eventually cause other problems. Some spans of missing teeth are too large to be treated with a bridge.
- Dental implants are placed directly into the bone where the teeth are missing and do not involve the adjacent healthy teeth. Dental implants also prevent or reduce the further loss of bone, and can last a lifetime.
Better Than Dentures
Another traditional approach to treating multiple missing teeth has been to use partial dentures. These are appliances made of plastic and metal that clip to adjacent healthy teeth in order to fill the gaps created by missing teeth.
- Partial dentures are much more cosmetic than they are functional, and they still often lead to embarrassment. Many people who wear partial dentures say they are reluctant to smile, laugh or even speak in public because they are afraid their dentures may slip, or that the wires may show.
- Partial dentures can greatly impact your ability to eat what you like, especially in public.
- Many people do not like the feeling of metal and plastic in their mouths.
- Just like bridges, dentures do nothing to prevent the loss of bone in the jaw.
- Many people tolerate dentures because they think they have no other viable options.
Dental implants are a better solution. They are fixed in place, do not move, and eliminate the need to worry about your teeth. They are the closest thing possible to natural teeth. People with dental implants say they look better, feel better, and have more confidence. And they can finally eat what they want, and participate in all the activities they desire. It’s not uncommon to hear the comment “I feel like I got my life back!”
