When you lose a tooth, or if you lose several, the health, function, and beauty of your smile suffers, and you could develop an older appearance too! But with dental implants, we can secure a replacement tooth or even support fixed hybrid dentures. In today’s blog, your Shrewsbury, MA, prosthodontist talks about the benefits of dental implants.
The Dental Implant Difference
With traditional bridges and dentures, your replacement teeth are held in place with crowns, clasps, or even suction. Which means the body still registers a missing root and will suspend the flow of nutrients to the jaw, causing the bone to lose mass and density. This results in further tooth loss and an aged appearance. However, with dental implants, a biocompatible titanium post is inserted into the jawbone and act as a new root. The flow of nutrients resumes, and this limits the growth of jawbone structure to preserve your jaw and facial structure, and also enable your new teeth to last decades instead of just 5 to 10 years.
The Placement Process
Our team will begin by examining your smile. We want to assess the underlying factors behind your tooth loss so we can manage them and allow your dental implants to last for years to come. We also want to make sure the jaw is strong enough to support new teeth and doesn’t first need grafting or a sinus lift. The images we gather enable us to plan the placement process in detail, choosing the optimal position, angle, and depth to insert the posts. Once we do, these will bond with the jaw and act as new roots. For an individual one, we will attach an abutment to the post once the area heals and in the same visit in some cases, and then connect a crown to complete your new tooth. The crown is custom-made to look natural and handle daily bite forces with ease.
Hybrid Dentures
Our team also has hybrid dentures, which are a fixed alternative to traditional removable options. We will insert between four and six posts per arch, which acts as new roots and prevent further breakdown of the jaw. We then connect a set of dentures to them, so you leave with a full smile. For some, this could be completed in a single visit. These will never slip, and can last far longer than removable alternatives. If you have any questions about the difference these new teeth provide, then contact our team today to learn more.
Schedule an Appointment for Implant Dentistry
Our team wants to help you enjoy a full smile again with our durable and lifelike dental implants. To find out more about how we secure replacement teeth, call our Shrewsbury/Grafton, MA area dental office at 508-842-8838.
