The ability to replace lost or extracted teeth has long been an important part of professional dentistry. After all, a smile works best when it has a full set of teeth. However, until recently, that ability largely meant replacing only the visible parts of your lost teeth, known as the crowns. While this helps restore your ability to bite and chew your food, and smile confidently, it doesn’t address an important aspect of tooth loss – your missing teeth roots. At our Conroe, TX, dental office, we can secure your dental prosthesis on one or more dental implants, which can address the loss of your teeth roots as well as the appearance and functionality of your smile.
How conventional prostheses are made
Traditionally, dental prostheses such as dental bridges and dentures relied on innovative, but limited, support systems such as abutment teeth, clasps, and adhesives. For example, a dental bridge consists of a replacement tooth (pontic) that’s supported by one or a pair of dental crowns. The crowns are bonded to the healthy teeth that are closest to the gap in your smile. Partial dentures are secured in place with the help of hidden clasps, while full dentures rely on the curvature of your dental ridge and, in some cases, adhesives.
Adding dental implants to the design
Dental implants are small, root-like posts that can be utilized to upgrade your dental bridge or denture to make it more comfortable, stable, and lifelike. The implant posts are inserted into your jawbone, which then fuses to the implants’ surfaces. Dental implants don’t completely change the designs of conventional bridges and dentures; they add to them by giving them a more lifelike support system that’s designed after the structures of your healthy, natural teeth.
The advantages of dental implant posts
Eliminating the need for abutment teeth, clasps, and adhesives is a significant benefit to dental implants. Not only do they provide a more comfortable and reliably stable option for supporting your prosthesis, but also help you preserve more of your remaining healthy tooth structure. In addition, implanting root-like posts into your jawbone restores stimulation in it every time you bite and chew. This helps keep your jawbone strong and healthy long after you’ve lost one or more teeth and their roots.
Learn if you qualify for dental implants
If you’ve lost one or more teeth, or want to improve the quality of your existing prostheses, then learn more about how dental implants differ from traditional bridges and dentures. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling the Dental Centre of Conroe in Conroe, TX, today at (936) 441-4600. We also proudly serve patients who live in Houston, The Woodlands, Willis, Montgomery, Magnolia, Huntsville, and all surrounding communities.