Learn How Popular Dental Implants Are and Why

For over 3 million Americans dental implants have proven to be the best and most effective way to address serious dental challenges like a loss of teeth. The number of people who are seeking out this form of treatment is growing every year, and last year almost half a million patients chose to get dental implants. Despite the fact that this form of treatment has been around for a long time, it is only now starting to be accepted as a mainstream medical correction versus the long-held perception that dental implants were strictly for cosmetic application. As the education of consumers, doctors, and insurance carriers continues to improve, more people will be able to get back a beautiful smile with the help of implants.

This procedure has been perfected but is not new.  They have been around for a very long time. An interesting fact is that ancient Mayan women would have bone implanted into their gums to simulate teeth. This is the first known dental implant surgery with records of such type of procedures dating back to 600 AD. Modern medicine has made implants much safer and less intrusive, giving rise to a larger number of people chose to replace their teeth with implants rather than less permanent solutions. 

Dental implants are a much more permanent solution to tooth loss than traditional bridges or dentures. Since the implant is placed directly into the gum there is a level of permanence that you cannot achieve with a traditional bridge. Additionally because of the fact that the implant is put into the jawbone, the titanium screw acts like a naturally occurring root. This holds the tooth in place and you do not ever have to worry about misplacing an implant. With over 25% of senior citizens losing all of their natural teeth, implants provide a safe, long-term solution to tooth loss. 

There is definitely an expense associated with dental implants. Since they have been viewed, and still are in some circles, as a purely cosmetic procedure the cost of dental implants is still relatively high. However, as more people become aware of implants and the permanence of the solution they offer, insurance companies are starting to realize the benefit of paying for them. Even if not through a direct pay system, patients can get their insurance to cover some or all of the cost of the procedure through an allowance granted to them for a traditional denture or bridge. That money can be put towards an implant. 

Getting dental implants takes time and a certain level of commitment. They are made to fit exactly into your specific mouth. To accomplish this, we will need to get the right measurements, take several impressions of your mouth, build a mold that fits your mouth & mimics your teeth structure, and then ultimately place the implant into your mouth. All of these require you to be at our dentist’s office on an outpatient basis, so you should be prepared to take some time off for your appointments.  To find out what your exact timeline would look like, give us a call.

Times Have Changed for the Cosmetic Dentist

In the 1970s, a cosmetic dentist had fewer ways to treat patients.  As a result, tooth pulling was still common, and dentures were the go to solution for people that needed to replace missing teeth. In fact, most people simply expected that they would end up wearing dentures and didn’t think about alternative options.  Thankfully, the 80s brought changes in dental technology that improved everything. 

Resin cement was invented in the 1980s and made it possible for dentists to restore teeth using ceramics.  While ceramic solutions had been available for close to a hundred years, they simply weren’t as durable as silver amalgam and therefore not nearly as popular.  As much as most people want a beautiful smile, the ability to eat comfortably is still a higher priority and always has been.  Modern technology makes it possible to have both. 

When resin cement started being used by the cosmetic dentist, it opened up a world of possibilities.  This material is used to bond a ceramic crown or dental veneer to a natural tooth.  By bonding the two together, the restoration becomes incredibly strong and durable.  This is important when talking about a tooth that is used all day, every day.  The difference was so extreme that many people stopped using silver amalgam on a frequent basis and replaced the material with ceramic crowns instead. 

As all-ceramic crowns and dental veneers became widely available, many Hollywood celebrities were among the first to take advantage of it.  Now, it is expected that a star have the perfect smile.  In fact, there is a term “Hollywood Smile” because it is universally known that celebrities in the United States have a beautiful and perfect smile.  This, however, didn’t used to be commonplace.  In fact, celebrities like Tom Cruise used to have terrible looking teeth.  They were so bad that if you look at a picture from his early acting days, you wouldn’t even recognize his smile. As resin cement made it possible to permanently secure ceramic crowns and veneers to teeth, celebrities like Tom Cruise had a smile makeover.  

While more celebrities had their teeth fixed, the cosmetic dentist also started talking to patients about the options that were available.  This has led to people throughout the country having their crooked, broken, stained or damaged teeth corrected using dental crowns and veneers. These solutions have become so popular that people in other countries have come to know Americans as people with nice teeth.  Not only have these options make it possible to restore damaged and unattractive teeth but resin cement led to the invention of the dental bridge and opened the door to the possibility of having missing teeth replaced without dentures. 

It is typically impossible to have perfect looking teeth without the help of a dentist, so if you don’t love your smile, don’t feel bad.  You can have the smile that you have always wanted with help from our office.  All you need to do is schedule an appointment so that we can examine your teeth and present treatment options for correcting them.