By addressing your missing teeth with dental implants, our team can keep your jaw and facial structure intact. You can enjoy a replacement that looks and acts like natural teeth! In today’s blog, your Leawood, KS, dentist talks about how we replace your missing teeth with durable and natural-looking dental implants.
The Causes of Adult Tooth Loss
Tooth loss in adulthood can lead to serious trouble for your smile. But why do we lose our teeth as we age? For some, this is due to worsening oral health, as untreated cavities and infections could lead to missing teeth or require them to be extracted to prevent the spread of infection. Others could lose teeth due to accidents or injuries. The most common factor behind missing teeth is periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease that severs the tissues connecting your teeth and gums.
The Impact on Oral Health and Facial Structure
When we lose teeth, the body will take notice and in response, will suspend the flow of calcium and phosphorus to the jaw. Without these regular doses of nutrients, the bone tissues weaken and erode, which can lead to further tooth loss and an older appearance. Missing teeth could also limit your meal options and nutritional intake, and may complicate how clearly you can speak. To maintain your youthful facial structures and eat your favorite foods, you need to seek a replacement that not only fills the gap in your smile, but keeps your jawbone intact. With dental implants, we can offer this level of tooth replacement!
Planning Dental Implant Placement
To begin, we will examine your smile to assess the cause and extent of your tooth loss. We may need to treat underlying issues like periodontal disease to avoid the risk of implant failure. If you are missing most of your teeth, we may need to extract the last few to pave the way for a set of implant-secured dentures. With implant dentistry, we can address minor tooth loss or even secure a complete smile.
Sedation Options
Dental implant placement requires oral surgery, but don’t worry, we will take steps to ensure the process is comfortable for you, even if you have anxiety or special needs that would otherwise complicate your ability to undergo treatment. We can numb the areas directly with a local anesthesia, and our team can also offer sedation to help you reach a state of calm and relaxation, with little to no memory of the process at all, so your placement is a comfortable and positive experience.
Placing Your New Roots
Our team will use digital x-rays to assess the strength of your jawbone and choose the best angles, positions, and depths to insert your dental implant posts. We then guide them to your jaw with digital technology. The posts are made from biocompatible titanium and bond with the jaw like natural tooth roots. This means they have the potential to last for decades to come, possibly even a lifetime. Once your new posts are in place, we can move forward with completing your tooth!
Securing Your Crown
If you are receiving a single dental implant, then we will connect an abutment to the post that extends above the gum line. We then attach a custom-made crown, which blends with the smile and also has the ability to handle daily bite forces and pressure with ease, so you can eat your favorite foods again and enjoy natural-looking results.
Bridges and Dentures
For larger gaps, we could use several posts to support a bridge or even a full set of dentures. In fact, we have one option that can offer a full smile in only one visit!
All-On-Four
With All-On-Four, we will insert just four small dental implants per arch, which are set at angles and positions to stimulate jawbone growth and support a full set of new teeth. In the same sitting, we will connect the row of new and lifelike teeth, so you leave our office with a full smile. This will never slip and last far longer than removable dentures, so you can eat your favorite foods and feel confident when you smile.
If you have any questions about how we treat tooth loss with implant dentistry, or if you are ready to address the gaps in your smile, then contact our team today to learn more.
Schedule a Visit for Dental Implant Placement
We want to ensure you can smile with confidence for many years to come. To learn more about how we replace your lost teeth and restore your smile, call Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS, today at (913)681-5500.
