When you lose a tooth, or even if you lose most of them, this could mean serious issues with your smile’s appearance and function, impacting your quality of life in a negative way. To address tooth loss, our team provides implant dentistry. In today’s blog, your Conroe, TX, dentist talks about the benefits of replacing missing teeth with our dental implants.
The Parts of a New Tooth
What makes up a dental implant? The implant portion is a biocompatible titanium post that the body will accept as a natural root. Using digital technology to guide the process, we insert the post or post at a specific angle and position to support a new tooth and also stimulate the growth of jawbone tissue. Once the new root is in place, we will attach an abutment that extends above the gum line. This is what we will connect the restoration to, or a portion of a prosthetic. Once in place, these prevent the loss of mass and density in the jaw, so you don’t lose additional teeth or develop a prematurely aged appearance. Your new teeth can last for decades to come, possibly a lifetime!
Individual Tooth Replacement
If you have a single missing tooth, we can provide a dental implant to prevent loss of jawbone density, so you don’t lose further teeth and you enjoy a full and balanced smile again. We will insert individual posts into the gap in your smile, and then attach an abutment and a crown. The dental crown will be custom-made to look natural and absorb daily bite forces.
Bridges
If you have between two and four missing teeth in a row, we could use one to two posts to support a bridge, one custom-made for your smile and longer lasting than traditional crown-secured options. These could last for decades, or possibly an entire lifetime.
Fixed Partials
If you have several gaps in your smile, too many for a bridge but not enough for a full, we can create a partial that puts new teeth in the gaps and is supported by dental implants. No need to remove them for cleaning, as they’re attached like natural teeth and ready to last for years to come.
Secured Dentures
If you’re missing most or all of your teeth, you need a denture. With dental implants, we can support one that not only looks natural, but is fixed in place and never needs to be removed for soaking or cleaning, and never slips when you eat or speak. You can enjoy your favorite foods again and smile without hesitation.
Technology
As part of the planning and placement process, we will use advanced technology. To plan the placement and assess the strength of the jaw, we will use digital x-rays. These use a fraction of the radiation that traditional systems require, and are available instantly chairside, so no waiting for a lengthy development process. Our team also uses CAT scans to see the smile as a whole, which aids in the planning process. Should we need to extract teeth or perform a grafting procedure, we will use dental lasers to perform these procedures instead of scalpels. Lasers offer precision, don’t require anesthesia usually, and prevent swelling, bleeding, and infection afterwards. The treated area also heals much quicker. Finally, we will use CEREC CAD/CAM technology to create your ceramic crowns and bridges in only one visit with durable and lifelike materials. We then place them in the same sitting!
Grafting and Sinus Lifts
What if you’ve lost significant amounts of jawbone tissue, which means there isn’t enough to support the posts necessary for your dentures? With jawbone grafting, also known as ridge augmentation, we will use new tissue taken from your jaw or hip, or from donor or synthetic sources, to rebuild the weakened portions. This aids the lower arch, but for the upper one we can perform a sinus lift, which involves raising the sinus floor to uncover new structure to support multiple posts and secure your upper denture firmly in place.
If you have any questions about how we treat tooth loss, or if you would like to schedule a consultation, then contact our team today to learn more. We would love to help you enjoy a full and stunning smile in 2023!
Ready to Treat Your Tooth Loss?
To learn more about how our team can address minor or even advanced cases of tooth loss, then contact The Dental Centre of Conroe in Conroe, TX by calling 936-441-4600 and schedule your next appointment with our team today.