Losing a tooth is a very common occurrence as people get older. While this isn’t a positive feature, it doesn’t have to be a life-altering event. With the advances in dental procedures over the last twenty years, replacing a missing tooth is now simpler, easier, and more effective than ever before.
It may be tempting to think that replacing a missing tooth isn’t necessary, especially if it’s not usually visible to others, but nothing could be further from the truth. Just one missing tooth can impact your entire mouth and your overall health, not to mention your self-confidence.
When a tooth is missing in your mouth, your jaw bone can deteriorate where the missing tooth was anchored. If this happens, it can lead to further complications with the neighboring teeth. Your jaw bone is kept healthy by the stimulation it gets from the root of the tooth. Once that is gone, the bone is no longer getting what it needs to stay healthy.
If your jaw bone starts to thin or soften, this can spread to the bone anchoring neighboring teeth. If untreated, a chain reaction can begin to happen that could lead to losing more teeth at an alarming rate.
Another consequence of this loss of bone density is the possibility of changes to the actual structure of your face. Just one missing tooth can cause the shape of your face to change. This is something to be avoided thanks to modern medicine. Remember, this can happen even if the missing tooth is in an unseen location of your mouth.
While dentures and bridges can help prevent some of these problems, these solutions aren’t nearly as effective as a dental implant. When the procedure is done, a titanium rod is implanted into the socket to hold the abutment and actual tooth. This rod will usually last for the rest of your life if you take care of your teeth.
Once it’s implanted and healed, the rod will provide stimulation to the bone it’s seated in, helping to keep your jaw bone healthy.
This brings up another benefit of single-tooth dental implants. Dentures and dental bridges can be uncomfortable and prone to breaking or bending as they are removed and replaced in your mouth every day. A dental implant is a much more durable option. While the rod lasts for the length of your life, the crown, the visible “tooth” part of your implant that rests atop the rod, may need to be replaced roughly about every fifteen to twenty years. However, this is a very simple procedure that can take mere minutes if it’s ever needed.
Comfort, durability, and helping to prevent future complications, both with your teeth and your overall health, make a single-tooth dental implant a great choice. A missing tooth shouldn’t be ignored, and a dental implant can be installed in as little as an hour.
That hour could pay health and happiness dividends for the rest of your life, so don’t be afraid to discuss options with your oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Maxillovendôme.
