A dental implant (tooth implant) is the most modern and advanced method for tooth replacement and can be used to replace a single tooth, multiple teeth or all of the teeth.
Modern dental implants are extremely durable, natural looking and offer a more permanent solution to traditional dentures (removable false teeth) without the associated stigma and daily maintenance routines. A successful and well maintained dental implant can last an entire lifetime, and has many life changing benefits.
Aswell as creating an obvious aesthetic improvement – which by itself offers life changing rewards, our goal with a tooth implant is to also help restore your mouths natural function and jawbone structure.
Mind the gap! …Having a missing tooth will increase the forces and pressure on your remaining teeth, when chewing and biting. A dental implant will ease the load, helping to slow down preventable tooth deterioration, fractures and reducing the likelihood of loosing additional teeth.
Fitting a dental implant is a relatively simple procedure, which involves titanium screws being inserted into the jaw bone. These screws integrate with the bone and are able to support an artificial replacement. A dental implant is usually completed over a period of 3 to 6 months. This is the most advanced method of replacing missing teeth and would not always be appropriate.
At Keynsham Dental Care, our knowledgable dentists will guide you through your tooth/teeth replacement options and discuss the advantages of a dental implant, compared with alternative treatments and the health risks of simply taking no action and not replacing the tooth. We will be able to advise you on the most appropriate treatment for your individual requirements and lifestyle.
Success rates of dental implants vary depending on where in the jaw the implant is fitted but generally the success rate is very high, up to 98%. Implants carried out by a registered dental professional are considered safe and complications are rare.
As with any surgery though, dental implant surgery does pose some health risks. However if a problem does arise it us usually minor and easily treated. Risks include:
Up until fairly recently dental bridgework was the more common option for tooth replacement. The main disadvantage to a dental bridge is the dependence on existing natural teeth for support. Dental bridges are also far less durable than an implant, similar to dentures they will need replacing every 10 years.
Dentures are a low-priced and quick solution to replacing missing teeth. However the downsides are numerous compared with a modern tooth implant. The removable nature of dentures means they often become loose or crooked, which can be socially embarrassing. There is also a much higher degree of maintenance involved as they must be removed at night. They will also need replacing every 10 years.
There is also a lot of stigma associated with dentures, in fact according to the 2015 study “Biting Into Denture Care” by Survata, 63% of denture wearers said the had kept their dentures a secret from somebody. And two in five denture wearers admit that wearing dentures has negatively affected their career and caused a lack of confidence in meetings.
The main purpose of our teeth is to bite and chew our food making it easier for us to digest. We have 5 main types of teeth (including wisdom teeth) and each type has a slightly different shape and function. By doing nothing about your missing tooth, your existing teeth will take on greater load, some teeth may have to do the work designed for other types of teeth (those missing).
The longer term effect of this is more tooth fractures, jaw aches and potentially leading to more teeth needing to be removed… which then compounds the problem. Keynsham dental care highly recommends dental implants, for retaining jaw function and integrity aswell as for the cosmetic rewards and health benefits, which can dramatically improve appearance and confidence.