When you have a missing tooth, or even if you have lost most of your teeth, we can help with dental implants. These provide tooth replacement that look and function like natural teeth. But is everyone a candidate for dental implants? In today’s blog, your Shrewsbury/Grafton, MA, dentist talks about our approach to assessing your candidacy and placing dental implants.
The Factors Behind Your Tooth Loss
Tooth loss can occur for a number of reasons. Some people lose natural teeth due to factors like tooth decay or dental infection, which can cause gaps in the smile due to lack of treatment. A serious injury could be a factor too. The most common cause is typically periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease that severs the tissues connecting your teeth and gums. When you lose teeth, these gaps not only impact the beauty of your smile, but could increase the risk of misalignment, further tooth loss, and even an aged appearance as the jaw weakens. Which is why you should never delay in seeking treatment with our team!
Assessing Your Jawbone
To begin, our team will take detailed images of your jaw to assess the strength of it, as the jaw needs to be able to support the dental implant posts, which act as new roots and are inserted into the jawbone. We also want to understand the causes of your tooth loss, so we can treat and manage underlying issues and prevent implant failure. For some, we may need to strengthen the jaw beforehand with grafting procedures, which provide new structure to support the posts in the lower jaw. For the upper jaw, we may recommend a sinus lift to raise the sinus floor and provide structure to support one or more dental implants.
Moving Forward With Treatment
When your smile is ready, we will then use digital technology to guide the posts into their proper positions, angles, and depths to provide new root structure and support a new tooth. We then attach a crown to complete the new tooth, so you can smile with confidence and enjoy a durable chewing surface. For advanced tooth loss, several posts could support a bridge or possibly a full set of dentures, so you regain function, health, and beauty in your smile. If you have any questions about how our team will treat tooth loss with dental implants, or if you want to see if you are a candidate, then contact our team today.
Do You Have Questions About Replacing Your Missing Teeth?
Our team wants to help you smile with confidence by addressing your tooth loss! To find out more about treating the gaps in your smile, then please call our Shrewsbury/Grafton, MA area dental office at 508-842-8838.
