Getting Your Smile Back With Dental Implants

Losing a tooth, be it due to sports injuries, accidents, or tooth decay, no longer means settling for a perpetual gap in your smile. Modern dentistry offers us alternatives, and at Middletown Family Dentistry, one stellar option is dental implants.

 

Implants vs. False Teeth?

While partial and full dentures have long been go-to solutions, they do come with their drawbacks. Dentures may slip or fall out if not properly secured, potentially causing jaw pain and gum soreness. Moreover, they don’t stimulate the jaw bones, leading to bone loss over time, which in turn affects the fit.

Enter dental implants — metal posts surgically placed beneath the gums, essentially becoming new roots for replacement teeth that look and function like natural ones. The only advantage dentures have over implants is cost. It’s crucial to address the gap with an implant promptly to prevent bone erosion and the surrounding teeth from collapsing, potentially causing alignment and bite issues.

 

Types of Implants

A patient’s eligibility for implants and the type they receive hinge on the health of the underlying jaw bone. For those with healthy bone, endosteal implants, titanium posts surgically placed into the jawbone, are the go-to. After healing, a second surgery attaches a crown atop the post.

Subperiosteal implants come into play when bone support is insufficient for endosteal implants or for those averse to the surgery involved. A metal frame is placed under the gums but atop the jawbone. Posts are added to this framework, protruding from the gum line like endosteal implants for crown attachment.

 

Implants and Braces?

In cases requiring both orthodontic treatment and implants, braces usually precede implants, as once an implant is in the jaw, it remains fixed. Rarely, if the braces only target front teeth and the missing teeth are at the back, an implant can be placed before or during orthodontic treatment.

 

Are Dental Implants Painful?

A common concern is the potential pain associated with dental implant procedures. Fear not — the process is generally well-tolerated with minimal discomfort. Our skilled dental team administers local anesthesia before surgery, ensuring you feel little to no pain. Post-surgery discomfort is manageable with over-the-counter pain medications, typically subsiding within days. The exceptional benefits of dental implants, including restored chewing function, enhanced aesthetics, and improved confidence, far outweigh any temporary discomfort.

 

Come Discuss Implants with Us!

Considering dental implants? You’re in good company, with over 100,000 people opting for them in Australia last year alone. If you’re contemplating dental implants, simply have a chat with us! We’ll assess your situation and craft the perfect plan to unveil the smile you rightfully deserve. Embark on your journey to a beautiful, fully functional smile with confidence – we’re here to guide you every step of the way. You’re in the best hands with Drs. Arrighi, Wang, and Adkins. Make sure to get directions before heading to our Middletown practice.

Keep taking care of those teeth!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.