Advantages and Recommendations - Dental Implants

You may have recently lost a tooth, or even been without your tooth for several years. You know that the most advisable thing is to replace said missing tooth but, nevertheless, you postpone your treatment in time.

Although it seems to you that it is never a good time to start the treatment that restores the lost tooth to your smile, the truth is that postponing the decision works against of your oral health.

This is mainly because the longer you go without all your teeth, the more likely you are to develop problems that compromise the whole of your mouth.

The lack of teeth causes an obvious problem that you may have already noticed: difficulty eating.

But, in addition, it causes other less obvious problems:

All these complications caused by not starting treatment on time mean that when you finally decide to do it, you find that your treatment is longer, complex and expensive than it would have been initially.

I am missing teeth and I need to replace them, what alternatives do I have?

Although the option more recommendable to replace lost teeth is always the placement of a dental implant with crown, there are also other alternatives.

These possibilities basically contemplate the placement of a bridge or one removable prosthesis -commonly called false teeth-.

Among the different alternatives that exist, Dr. William Eljadue, almost in all cases, for the implant.

This is due to the fact that, of the mentioned options, implant treatment is the one that allows replacing the natural tooth while respecting its functionality and aesthetics.

Advantages of dental implants

If we carefully compare the implant treatment that we perform in our clinic with the bridges or removable dentures, we will realize that the former have greater advantages:

1. They are permanent and durable

One of the main reasons why the vast majority of people choose implants is because they are a fixed solution before the loss of teeth.

That is, once placed, they require the same care as natural teeth, do not interfere with daily routine and they do not require removal to sleep, like dentures.

This, together with the resistance and durability they provide, makes implant treatment a long term solution.

2. They are very natural

The naturalness that implants offer has, in turn, two advantages.

On the one hand, the crowns that are placed on the implant are very aesthetic and allow to achieve infinity of shades, so they resemble the color of natural teeth. In this way, they do not differ from the rest of the pieces teeth that are in the mouth.

On the other hand, implants allow the patient to have the same sensations when chew, talk, or smile that he had with his natural teeth.

This, for example, does not happen with the classic removable prostheses. In addition to being less natural, they are uncomfortable as they must be removed every night and do not fit completely in the patient's mouth.

As they do not fit snugly, they move, causing rubbing and discomfort in the gums.

3. They are safe

The placement of implants is a minor surgery, which has a good postoperative period. In fact, the 85% of patientswho undergoes this intervention can go to work the next day.

Furthermore, it is estimated that, today, success rate of dental implants is 98%.

Despite these data, there are many people who feel fear and anxiety by having to undergo this type of treatment. To provide greater relaxation to these patients, in our clinic we have a service of sedation.

In this way, the person will be semiconscious the entire time the surgery lasts. And, in addition, you can have the peace of mind that the procedure will be supervised by a anesthetist.

4. They do not cause damage to the rest of the teeth

When we place an implant, the rest of pieces healthy teeth found in the mouth remain intact.

However, when what is placed is a bridge, yes the state of the adjacent pieces is compromised, since it is need to carve them.

This carving is irreversible and implies reduce its size.

In addition to this, it is important to note that the replacement of the lost tooth also avoid unwanted movements in the rest of teeth in the mouth.

To do this, we start from the basis that teeth have a natural tendency to move and to look for contacts between them.

That is, if there is an unoccupied space, the rest of the teeth will tend to tilt and move, losing proper position within the dental arch.

5. They help preserve bone

Over time, the loss of a tooth eventually leads to bone resorption that supported that tooth. This is due to the root absenceof the tooth as the bone does not receive its own stimulation from chewing.

The progressive loss of bone causes, in addition to a functional impairment, an aesthetic damage. Due to bone reduction, the lips begin to retract and the appearance gets old.

For its part, the placement of implants allows the bone to be preserved, since the screw that is inserted in the maxilla replace the root of the natural tooth, performing its function.

6. They allow good hygiene

The hygiene carried out by a person who has all their natural teeth is the same as practiced by someone with dental implants.

Being the most similar alternative to our own teeth, the brushing should be the same. The daily hygiene routine should also include the use of floss and rinsing.

And unlike traditional dentures, implants are fixed and do not have to be removed for cleaning.

7. They are very profitable for the patient

It is true that of the options mentioned -dental bridge and dentures-, implants are, a priori, the least economical alternative.

However, in the long run, they are very profitable. How could it be otherwise, this is because they are designed to last for many years.

Taking into account that they are a long-term solution, our recommendation is to make a higher initial effort.

If the patient follows adequate hygiene care, the implants hardly require maintenance. However, they do offer a durability, comfort and naturalness that no other treatment is able to offer.