When you have lost one or more of your teeth, the health and stability of your smile suffers. You also develop concerns with the appearance of your smile, and could even end up looking older! But we can help with implant dentistry. In today’s blog, your Celina, TX, dentist talks about rebuilding smiles with implant dentistry.
The Causes of Tooth Loss
Why do we lose natural teeth? For some, poor oral hygiene could lead to plaque buildup and the onset of tooth decay or infection, and lack of treatment means the tooth is lost or requires extraction to prevent the spread of infection. Injury could lead to missing teeth too. The most common factor in adult tooth loss is periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease. As part of your treatment, we will assess the cause of your tooth loss so we can treat the underlying issues and safeguard your dental implants in the process.
How Missing Teeth Endanger Your Smile
When we lose our natural teeth, this could lead to major complications with our oral health. Tooth loss could cause teeth to shift, creating misalignment that changes the appearance of your smile and increases the risk of tooth decay and periodontal concerns. The stress on your jaw joints due to bite imbalance caused by tooth loss could lead to TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). You could also feel embarrassed about your appearance and develop issues eating your favorite foods or speaking clearly. The body will also suspend the flow of calcium and phosphorus to the areas around the missing roots, so the jaw loses mass and density to cause further tooth loss and an aged appearance. But we can help prevent these issues with the placement of dental implants!
Planning Tooth Replacement
Our team will begin with a thorough dental exam, so we can understand the causes of your tooth loss and create plans to address or manage the underlying factors, keeping your smile whole once we place your dental implants. We want to make sure your smile is strong enough to support new teeth, if not, we can offer grafting to restore the smile. We also choose the right angle, position, and depth to insert these new posts.
Anesthesia and Sedation
We know the idea of oral surgery can be anxiety-inducing, which is why we take time to ensure you are relaxed and comfortable, even if you have dental anxiety or a phobia of the dentist! With anesthesia we administer a local numbing agent to the areas where the surgery will be happening. To help you enter a deep state of calm and relaxation, our team will offer sedation, so you feel comfortable and have little to no memory of the procedure at all.
Jawbone Grafting
What if your lower jaw doesn’t have enough structure to support a new tooth? With jawbone grafting, our team will surgically add new structure to the lower jaw to fortify it and ensure you can receive one or more dental implants. We will use bone taken from other parts of your body, such as your jaw, hip, or knee, or we may employ synthetic sources that encourage the growth of bone tissue. For the upper jaw, we could conduct a sinus lift to raise the sinus floor and provide structure to support new tooth roots!
Dental Implants
The dental implant is a biocompatible titanium post, one that is screw-like in appearance. We will insert this into the jawbone, where it eventually bonds with the jaw through a process known as osseointegration. We then connect an abutment that extends above the gum line, and we will attach a crown to complete your new tooth. Our team can address an individual missing tooth or even use several to secure a bridge or denture! In fact, we could offer same-day dentures with implant dentistry.
Same-Day Implants
With All-On-Four, we will extract the last few teeth and then carefully plan the placement of four dental implants per arch. We secure these at an angle to ensure they can stay in place and stimulate the growth of jawbone structure. Once we do, we will attach abutments and then secure the denture in the same visit. You will leave with a full smile! If you have any questions about implant dentistry, then contact our team today to learn more.
Schedule a Visit for Quality Tooth Replacement
If you want to receive one or more of our dental implants and would like to schedule an appointment, call Celina Family Dentistry in Celina, TX at (214) 851-0130.
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