Discover the Benefits of Dental Implants at Cedar Creek Dental
You shouldn’t have to live with severely damaged or missing teeth forever. Along with making it harder to do things like speak and eat, lowering your self-esteem, and impacting the way you look, missing teeth can put you at risk for developing other oral health problems. For these reasons, it’s important to restore your smile back to health with a tooth replacement option as soon as possible. At Cedar Creek Dental, Dr. Mikesell and his compassionate team want to help you achieve the beautiful, healthy smile you’ve always wanted with dental implants. Here’s what you should know about what makes dental implants so beneficial before scheduling your free consultation.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are screw-shaped posts that are used to replace the roots of missing teeth. They are made from titanium and inserted directly into your jaw bone to provide a strong, durable foundation for a prosthetic replacement tooth. Because dental implants are placed into your bone, they will eventually fuse together over time, creating a permanent replacement option that is both durable and comfortable.
A good candidate for dental implants is someone with one or more teeth that are missing or are significantly damaged. It’s also important for the patient interested in having implants placed to have enough bone available in their jaw to support the titanium post. Unfortunately, bone loss caused by missing teeth can sometimes mean this isn’t the case.
There are two types of dental implants. Depending on the condition of your mouth and your particular oral health needs, Dr. Mikesell will recommend one of the following two implants to replace your missing tooth:
- Endosteal: These are the preferred type of dental implant that is placed directly into your jaw bone. This type offers superior strength and durability.
- Subperiosteal: If you don’t have enough available bone to support an endosteal implant and are not a good candidate for a bone graft, this type of implant can be inserted under your gum tissue but on top of your jaw bone.
The Benefits Of Dental Implants
Dental implants are quickly becoming the superior tooth replacement option preferred by dentists and patients alike for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the many benefits that dental implants can provide individuals with a severely damaged or missing tooth:
- Enhancing the natural beauty of your smile
- Making it easier to perform normal daily functions, including chewing, biting, and speaking
- Boosting your self-esteem
- Preventing bone loss
- Improving your facial structure that may have been affected by missing teeth
- Being as easy and convenient to care for as your natural teeth
- Being a durable, long-term tooth replacement option (with proper dental care your dental implant could last a lifetime without having to be replaced)
Dental Implants Vs Other Tooth Replacement Options
In the past, if you were missing teeth, your only options to replace them would be a dental bridge, a partial denture, or full dentures. While these options were relatively affordable and quick to complete, they posed a number of concerns for both dentists and patients, including:
- Not looking as aesthetically pleasing as natural teeth
- Not fitting securely (being prone to sliding or shifting)
- Feeling uncomfortable
- Needing to be removed to clean
- Having to be adjusted over time
- Not preventing bone loss
Dental implants solve many of these problems. Along with not having to be removed to be cleaned or adjusted, you can treat your dental implants just as you would your natural teeth. Additionally, they look and feel like your natural teeth, so you’ll never have to worry about them sliding, falling out, or causing discomfort.
While they offer many benefits, dental implants do have a few disadvantages. Because they must be inserted into your jaw bone, they can take several months to heal, which means a longer recovery time than dental bridges or dentures. Likewise, they tend to be more expensive than most dental replacement alternatives. If you’re missing one or more teeth, Dr. Mikesell can help you determine if dental implants or another tooth replacement option would be best for your dental needs and personal preferences.
Dental Implant Treatment
If Dr. Mikesell determines that you’re a good candidate for implants, you can expect the process to take place over the course of at least two dental appointments. Here’s what will occur during your dental implant treatment at Cedar Creek Dental:
- First, Dr. Mikewill will remove any remaining parts of damaged teeth that may still be in your mouth. If this step is necessary for you, you’ll have to wait for your gums to heal fully before returning for your second dental implant appointment.
- After your gums have healed from having your damaged teeth extracted, Dr. Mikesell will place the screw-shaped implants into your jaw bone. While this can sound like a scary or painful process, your mouth will be completely numb, so you won’t any pain.
- Once the implant has been placed, it must fuse with the bone that surrounds it before a prosthetic tooth can be attached to it. This process can take anywhere from 4 to 6 months. During this time, a temporary crown may be used to fill the gap from your missing tooth depending on its location.
- When your mouth has fully healed and the implant has fused with your jaw bone, you’ll return for a third appointment. At this point, Dr. Mikesell will attach a tooth-colored dental crown to your implant using an abutment. This final appointment should be quick and easy.
When your last appointment is complete and your crown is finally in place, you can enjoy your new smile right away!
How To Care For Your Dental Implants
One of the best parts of choosing dental implants to replace missing teeth rather than a dental bridge or dentures is that caring for them is so convenient. Keeping your implants strong and beautiful is as simple as performing good oral health habits at home, such as:
- Brushing two times a day
- Flossing and using mouth wash
- Visiting Dr. Mikesell every six months for routine dental exams and professional cleanings
Unlike with dental bridges, you can floss around your dental implants as you would will your natural teeth. While dentures may require taking them out to clean, you’ll never have to remove your dental implants to keep them clean, making them an extremely convenient and user-friendly tooth replacement option.
Restore Your Smile With Dental Implants At Cedar Creek Dental
If you think that your smile is too far gone to look and function the way you’d like it to, think again. Dental implants can help give you the natural-looking, comfortable, fully functional smile that you deserve. Best of all, dental implants will look, feel, and can be treated like your natural teeth, so no one will ever know that you’ve undergone dental work.
At Cedar Creek Dental in Rigby, Dr. Mikesell and his trusted team are committed to providing the best in professional, comfortable care to each of our patients. If you’re interested in enhancing the health, comfort, and appearance of your smile with dental implants, contact them today to schedule your free consultation. You’ll find out how convenient caring for your smile can be!
