When you have lost a tooth, or if you have advanced tooth loss, then you should consider a dental implant. With implant dentistry, we can address the gaps in your smile and offer lifelike results. But how do we do this? In today’s blog, your Shrewsbury, MA, dentist explains how we plan and place your dental implants.
Tooth Loss
We could lose our teeth in adulthood due to a number of different factors. For example, this could be caused by issues like injury to the face or jaw, or an untreated cavity or infection. Periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease, is often an underlying cause. As part of your treatment, our team will assess the cause of your tooth loss, so we can address the factors and prevent dental implant failure!
The Loss of Mass and Density
Tooth loss can lead to serious issues with your ability to eat your favorite foods, speak clearly, and avoid painful jaw joint disorders like TMD and bruxism (teeth grinding). But did you know this could also erode your jawbone and alter your facial structure to cause an older appearance? The body responds to tooth loss by suspending the flow of calcium and phosphorus to the jaw around the root. Without these nutrients, the bone tissue wears down and erodes, which can cause further tooth loss and an older appearance. But with dental implants, we can insert new roots in the form of biocompatible titanium psst, which stimulates the growth of the jawbone to keep your smile healthy and strong, so you have new teeth that stay in place for decades, possibly a lifetime, and you maintain your youthful facial features!
Planning Treatment
To begin, we will ask you questions about your dental history, and your oral hygiene habits. We then take a close look at your smile with advanced imaging technology, so we can understand the cause of your tooth loss and assess the strength of your jawbone. This means we can decide if you need procedures like grafting or a sinus lift to strengthen the area and support new tooth roots. Our team can also choose the best angles, positions, and depths to insert these posts.
Sedation
Our team wants to ensure your treatment experience is a comfortable one, and that if you have anxiety you are able to undergo treatment with comfort. Along with a local anesthetic to numb the placement area, our team will administer dental sedation. We can choose from nitrous oxide, oral sedation, or IV sedation. The one we choose is based on anxiety levels, age, weight, medical history, and any medications you are currently taking. The treatment helps you enter a deep state of calm and relaxation, with little to no memory of the procedure at all. The effects may take time to wear off, so be sure you have a friend or family member on hand to bring you home.
Dental Implant Posts
Our team will insert the posts, which are screw-like in appearance and made to bond with the jawbone, into the jawbone at specific angles and positions to stimulate jawbone growth and support your restoration. For a single missing tooth, we can insert one. But we can also insert several to secure a bridge or even a full set of dentures in place, so you can enjoy a full smile again, with a denture that never slips and doesn’t need to be removed for cleaning or soaking.
Restorations and Dentures
For an individual one, we will create a dental crown that we attach to the post. The crown is designed to look natural and blend with the smile, while also offering a durable chewing surface. If you have more advanced tooth loss, we could custom-make a bridge or denture, again using durable and lifelike materials, so you have a smile that is whole and new teeth that look and function like natural ones. If you have any questions about how we use dental implants to offer a full smile and lifelike results, or if you have one or more missing teeth that need attention, then contact our team today to learn more. You deserve a full smile and we are ready to help make it a reality!
Do You Have Missing Teeth?
Our team wants to help you enjoy better oral health, improved bite function, and results that look natural. To learn more about addressing the gaps in your smile, call Modern Dentistry Of Shrewsbury today at 508-842-8838. With dental impacts, you can enjoy renewed function and health in your smile, and also maintain your current facial structure too.
