Your teeth are designed to last a lifetime, but injury, decay, or disease can still result in tooth loss. Having a gap along your gum line can make you feel self-conscious and unattractive. It can also cause discomfort when speaking and chewing.
If you want to replace your missing tooth with an option that solves both appearance and function issues, dental implants can’t be beaten. In the United States, more than three million people have dental implants, a total that grows by 500,000 people annually, according to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.
At SEDA Dental, our goal is to preserve your existing teeth. However, sometimes a diseased or traumatized tooth presents more of a liability than an asset.
When you have a missing tooth, you want a replacement option that looks natural and stays secured. Whether you’re missing one tooth or several teeth, dental implants give you a long-term and low-maintenance option that allows you to chew, speak, and smile normally. Our dental implant experts include our team at Jupiter, our team at Delray Beach led by Dr. Emily Andrade, and our team at Boca Raton led by Dr. Emily Andrade and Dr. Mauricio Antezana.
Find out why dental implants are your best choice for replacing missing teeth.
While your teeth are intended to last a lifetime, it’s not uncommon for adults to have missing teeth. About 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth and 40 million Americans are missing all their teeth.
Despite widespread dental education, studies show that 15-20% of adults in the United States have some degree of gum disease, one of the leading causes of tooth loss. Additional causes of tooth loss include dental decay, bone disease, and trauma.
While chewing, speaking, and smiling become more difficult with the loss of your tooth, the effect of a missing tooth goes far deeper — it affects your tooth right down to the bone. Your tooth roots attach your teeth securely to your jawbone so your teeth stay secure. Chewing and moving your jaw works to stimulate the jawbone so it stays healthy and strong enough to support your teeth.
When tooth roots disappear as the result of a lost tooth, your jawbone recognizes the reduced activity. The change can initiate bone loss because your body loses the source of stimulation that triggers it to send in the nutrients to support bone regeneration at the site of the gap. This change can cause your jawbone to weaken and allow your existing healthy teeth to shift out of place. A damaged jawbone can eventually change the structure of your face and the way you look.
Dental implants provide optimal tooth replacement because they closely imitate the structure of your teeth, including the way your tooth roots attach to your jawbone. This is accomplished with the use of an artificial tooth root, a titanium post inserted into your jawbone. After the post is inserted, your body takes over by growing new bone tissue to fuse the post into place in a process that takes from three to six months.
After the implant is secure, a crown is placed over the post. The crown is made to match your remaining healthy teeth and fit perfectly to fill the gap of the lost tooth. Since your replacement tooth is securely anchored by your jawbone, you benefit with superior stability while also preventing bone loss.
When your dental implant is complete, it becomes immovable. You won’t have to worry about it slipping, clicking, or moving when you eat or speak. It will look and feel as close as possible to your natural teeth.
You can treat your dental implant with the same care you give your natural teeth. Daily brushing and flossing, along with biannual dental exams and cleanings, are all that’s required to maintain your dental implant. When placed and maintained properly, dental implants have a success rate of 98%.
Your dental crown is made to last a lifetime. However, if the crown on your implant wears down over time, you only need a replacement crown, which fits easily over your existing post.
Find out more about ways to close your gap with a dental implant that has the look and structure of a real tooth. Call or use our scheduling tool to arrange an appointment at one of our convenient offices in Jupiter, Delray Beach, or Boca Raton to request an appointment.
