Filling in the gaps
Anyone who has lost one or more of their teeth will tell you that the situation presents far more problems than you might first assume. Alongside the cosmetic implications of having a visible gap in your mouth – which can affect how people view you in both a social and employment context – there are also several long-term health implications that a missing tooth can bring.
While most people are aware of more common treatments for missing teeth, such as crowns or bridges, fewer people know what dental implants in Bromley are, or why they are a fantastic, permanent alternative that can fully restore your smile like no other form of treatment.
What are dental implants?
Most conventional treatments for lost teeth, such as dental bridges, rely on the patient’s existing teeth and gums for support. While this is effective up to a point, over time, as their existing teeth are prone to shifting, they can become uncomfortable and rub against the patient’s gums.
Dental implants on the other hand are permanently embedded within the patient’s jawbone through a short dental surgery. This means that they are far more durable, sturdy and comfortable than crowns or bridges, while still appearing indistinguishable from the patient’s surrounding teeth.
What does the process of getting implants involve?
As dental implants are a more or less permanent solution to lost teeth, they require a small dental surgery procedure to be embedded within the patient’s jaw.
This initially begins through a consultation with a dental implant expert, who will thoroughly examine your teeth and gum health to establish whether or not implants can be successfully used. This may also involve taking extensive photographs and X-rays of your tooth shape and condition.
Providing that the dental implant expert does not notice any signs of decay or gum disease, which could impede the success of the installation, the actual implant procedure can begin.
This starts with a small hole being surgically drilled within the space where the new tooth will be with the patient having a local anaesthetic.
Into this hole, the implant expert will then place a titanium-alloy socket and seal it over to heal. Titanium-alloy is used specifically within the dental implant process, as it has unique properties which allow it to fuse together with human bone tissue.
After the short healing period has taken place during which the titanium-alloy and bone within the patient’s jaw merge together, the socket can be reopened, and a prosthetic will be fixed in place.
What are the advantages to seeking dental implants?
The main advantage of choosing dental implants over more conventional treatments for lost teeth is that dental implants are pretty permanent.
When it comes to your teeth, you only really get one chance to look after them.
However, if a tooth is lost – through trauma, neglect, or otherwise – dental implants are the only way that you can restore both the aesthetics and functionally, as you can use a dental implant with the same degree of confidence as you would a natural tooth, because it is permanently installed.
This means that it will also feel like a real tooth, rather than something which looks good, but causes discomfort and pain as time goes on.
