Losing one or a few teeth does more than change how you look, it can also impair your speech and interfere with chewing and biting. In more severe cases, you might suffer significant bone loss as a result of absent teeth.
As much of an ordeal as it is to lose a tooth, missing your natural pearly whites should not mean resorting to a soft diet because of a gummy mouth. You do not need to restrict your current life in any way if you choose to have dental implants fitted.
If you use dentures and feel it is high time for a new device, you might want to consider implants, which are generally more reliable and longer-lasting than the device you use now.
Just what is the fuss about dental implants?
An implant replaces your old tooth at its root. In this way, the implant is an artificial root to your new crown and is responsible for holding it securely in place as you eat, talk and sleep – activities that are challenging if you do not have all your teeth or use a broken, faulty or old denture.
People fear that while replacement devices replace lost smiles, they do not feel quite the same as a natural tooth, nor do they look wholly real. You will not feel this way with an implant; in time, you might struggle to differentiate between your prosthesis and an actual tooth.
What is implant surgery like and will it hurt?
If you are cleared for surgery having been deemed healthy enough, your dentist will make an appointment for you at a later date.
On the day of surgery, you will receive a local anaesthetic to numb the affected area, so you will not be in pain during the operation. You might feel tender afterwards during recovery, but the sensation is no worse than a standard filling.
After the anaesthetic has been administered and taken effect, a small screw made of titanium is implanted into your bone, underneath the tissue of where your tooth once was. Once in place, the tissue is sutured up and the procedure complete.
Over the next couple of months, the metal post and the bone bond during osseointegration, a natural process where the body identifies the compounds of titanium as tissue, and not a foreign object, thus allowing integration to take place.
Once fully healed, an abutment piece is screwed to the titanium piece, connecting it to the artificial crown, bridge or dentures.
How long does an implant last and how much does it cost?
If you take care of it, a tooth implant can last forever, which is not something you can say about dentures and other tooth restorative methods.
As for the cost, the initial expense of implants is higher, but that is not taking into consideration what you are paying for: a reliable device that could serve you a lifetime.
Are you looking to replace a single tooth or an entire set? You cannot go wrong with dental implants in Richmond.
