Your Facial Structure Can Improve With Dental Implants

Dental implants can go a very long way to improving a person’s life if they have been influenced by tooth loss. We know that tooth loss is often almost inevitable, even as we make every effort to minimize the chances of our patients losing a tooth. The challenge with tooth loss is that it comes with its own unique set of challenges that can cause a person to have a serious loss to their quality of life. For example, when you lose a tooth you may not be able to eat all the foods you like which can then impact your diet. For some people, it is the ability to have a full and beautiful smile because they are conscious of their missing teeth. It is for these reasons, which are just a small sampling, that replacing teeth has been one of the major goals of dentistry since its inception centuries ago. Today dental implants are the most innovative and effective tooth replacement option available.

Having dental implants comes with another inherent benefit that is rarely spoken about, because very few people realize its importance. Through a process known as osseointegration, the dental implants you have will literally become part of your mouth in every way. Titanium, from which the dental implants are made, can completely biosynthesize with the organic tissue in your mouth. What this means is that the tiny metal screw, the implant in your jawbone, tricks your mouth into believing that it is actually organic matter and must have the same level of support offered to other parts of the body. This bodes well for the implant and also helps maintain the basic functions of the jawbone itself. From a stability standpoint, having a prosthetic device that is completely integrated with the organics of your body is a complete win, and when the device actually helps sustain the organic matter it is an amazing feat.

The jawbone has two basic functions. The first is to support the teeth, and, in essence, support the first step in the digestive process. As long as the teeth are in place they continue to provide stimulation to the jawbone, which in turn gets the minerals it needs from the body to stay healthy. Once you start losing teeth, however, the stimulus wanes and the body gets the signal that the jawbone may have outlived its functionality. As a direct result of this the body will start the process of resorption, or absorbing back the jawbone. To do this, it will start to leach important minerals like calcium from the bone and reallocate it to other bones, which the body considers more mission critical. For you this can be devastating.

The second function of the jaw bone is to maintain the integrity of the facial structure. As long as the bone is not deteriorating or being resorbed, it holds the face in place. Once it starts to deteriorate, however, the jawbone is no longer able to provide the support your face needs which can lead to things like your posterior bite collapsing. The good news is that a dental implant creates the stimulation the body needs to continue supplying the jawbone with its vital nutrients and minerals. For this reason, dental implants are a superior tooth replacement option to that of dentures or a dental bridge. 

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.

As Football Games Take Place Across the Country, Dental Implants Can Restore Knock Out Teeth

Fall is here and with it comes fall sports and the need for dental implants.  According to the American Dental Association, sports injuries account for 13 to 39 percent of dental injuries leading to tooth loss. Parents should consider this when putting their kids in sports and look for ways to keep their teeth safe.  When teeth do fall out, many athletes are turning to implants as a permanent solution but this is normally a solution for adults, not children.

In order to keep kids safe, we recommend starting with ongoing preventative care.  By brushing and flossing their teeth twice a day and having their teeth professionally cleaned twice a year, their teeth will be stronger and less susceptible to becoming injured during an accident.  Brushing with fluoride toothpaste and getting a fluoride treatment at the dentist can also help.  In addition, to ongoing preventative care, we recommend that athletes of all ages wear a customized mouth guard in order to protect their teeth.

Football injuries may be significant but fewer football players lose teeth as a result of the sport because they wear mouth guards and a protective helmet. It is actually more common for basketball players to need dental implants than football players.  The University of California reviewed accident records from their athletic department in order to find out which sports had the highest likelihood of producing an oral injury.  It turns out that 11 out of every 100 basketball players reported a dental injury.  This could mean tooth loss, a cracked tooth, etc.  Since basketball players are not required to wear a mouth guard and do not have any protective face gear, these statistics make sense.  As a parent, if your child plays basketball you should consider the mouth guard as their only real means of protection.

Why Dental Implants Are So Popular

During the procedure, we implant a metal post under the gums and secure it to the jawbone.  Over time, the post and bone will fuse together and create a new root system.  It can take several months for this process to complete but it makes the implants incredibly secure and durable.  The new synthetic tooth is secured to the metal post, and once the procedure is complete, it won’t become loose while playing sports or eating.  The process makes implants as sturdy as a natural tooth would be.  This is significant since for athletes and adults with active lifestyles, slowing down is not an option.  It is important to be able to function like normal without thinking about a missing tooth, and this is the best option for doing so.

Once installed, people can take care of dental implants just like they would a natural tooth.  Brushing and flossing throughout the day along with regular teeth cleanings are all that is needed to keep teeth in good shape.  The healthier the mouth is, the stronger teeth will be overall so remember to schedule your teeth cleaning today.

Dental Implants Provide People with a New Level of Freedom

MG Dental provides http://www.mgdental.com for patients that want to replace a missing tooth in a way that looks and feels completely natural.  It is common for a person to lose a tooth at some point in their lifetime.  In fact, seventy percent of U.S. adults suffer from some form of tooth loss.  This is a common problem, and modern dentistry provides multiple solutions for addressing it.

One common way to replace a tooth is to create a dental bridge.  In this procedure, a crown is placed on the two teeth surrounding the missing one in order to form a “bridge” that holds the new tooth in place.  A cosmetic dentist can do this and make the tooth look natural.  However, many people that wear bridges end up with an uncomfortable tooth that looks out of place. Patients that have gotten a bridge, years ago, may now benefit by replacing it with an implant.

Dental implants are also superior to dentures.  While a common solution, dentures don’t feel like natural teeth.  They look better than ever and are more comfortable than they used to be, however, they are still a foreign object in the mouth.  That means that people often have difficulty eating and speaking like normal because they have to get used to wearing something new.  A full set can also reduce the number of flavors that person can taste.  Dentures will always have their place in dentistry and are a good solution for certain patients.  They are not, however, a permanent solution that behaves like a natural tooth.

Patients of MG Dental can benefit from the latest in dental technology.  Dental implants have become more common recently and are ideal for people that have an active lifestyle and want to keep it that way.  The best thing about implants is that once the procedure is complete, patients no longer have to think about their teeth.  Since it feels completely natural and is as durable as a natural tooth, there is no need to eat carefully or add more steps to the daily hygiene routine.  Brushing and flossing like normal, along with trips to the dentist, is all it takes to keep teeth fresh, beautiful and healthy.

The first step in the procedure is to have a metal post implanted under the gums and secured to the jawbone.  This must be done by an expert in order to reduce any recovery time and prevent complications.  In time, the metal and the jawbone will fuse together to create a completely durable synthetic root system.  The new root is the key to the entire procedure and the component that separates this from other types of cosmetic dental work.  It can take several months for the gums to heal entirely, but the process is worth the wait due to the stability it creates.

The new tooth will be created in a dental lab and will match the surrounding teeth perfectly.  After the gums have healed the new tooth will be secured to the post at the surface of the gums and positioned in place.  The result is a smile that looks, feels, and behaves completely naturally – perfect for patients with active and busy lifestyles.