The options for repairing or replacing a damaged tooth can be dizzying. Whether you’re looking at putting a crown on a tooth with a root canal or using dentures or dental implants to replace them, it can be hard to know what the right option is.
If you’re looking at getting dental implants but aren’t sure if they’re worth the cost, keep reading. We’re going to outline the dental implant pros and cons so you can go into your appointments armed with all the knowledge you need.
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How Dental Implants Work
The process of getting dental implants is a little longer than the process of getting dentures. Your road to getting dental implants starts with an appointment to discuss your options and get you registered with the surgeon who will do your work. But getting dental implants isn’t a same-day kind of deal.
You’ll have multiple appointments, instead. One will be to help give the lab a mold to shape your tooth around and help craft a temporary tooth for you while you wait. Then, you’ll have surgery to actually implant the screws into your jawbone.
Once your mouth completely heals from that surgery, you’ll have another appointment to fit your new teeth over the implanted screws.
The Advantages of Dental Implants
It’s a complicated process and it can be quite pricy. But this method actually has a lot of advantages over other tooth-replacement methods. From the look of your face to dental implant longevity, here are the various benefits of dental implants.
They’re More Comfortable
Instead of being fitted over your gums, surgeons embed dental implants directly into your jawbone. This helps to stimulate the root of your tooth and supplies your new prosthetic with extra support and strength.
While you’re healing, the jawbone grows around the titanium rod in your jaw. This helps to hold the implant in place and adds stability. Your prosthetic will feel exactly like every other tooth in your mouth.
Dentures and partials can’t compare. Because they fit over your existing gums and teeth, there’s a level of discomfort associated with them.
It’s Easier to Speak With Implants
When it comes to speaking, our teeth play a big role in helping us make some sounds. So when you’re missing teeth in the front of your mouth, your speech patterns can change dramatically.
The same sort of thing can happen when you wear loose dentures, or you’re just getting used to your dentures for the first time. You can slur or lisp when you speak. Also, ill-fitting dentures can cause a clicking sound when you speak.
Not only does this make you more difficult to understand, but it can also be distracting and embarrassing. The last thing you want is to feel self-conscious when you speak because you’re worried that your dentures will slip or that you’ll make the wrong sounds.
Getting dental implants can help take care of these issues. An implant can help fix a gap in your teeth so your tongue has something to press against to help you form words. This will make your speech much clearer right away.
If you’re getting implant-supported dentures, your dentures will be held in place by some implants that are deeply rooted in your jaw. This makes sure that they won’t slide around.
Implants make it much easier for you to speak!
You Can Eat Your Favorite Foods
When you’re missing teeth, especially molars, you know how hard it can be to eat some of your favorite foods. Implants can help fill in the gap that is making it difficult for you to eat your favorite foods.
Also, because the implants are embedded in your jawbone, dentures that have implant support don’t have the same restrictions for food that traditional dentures have. You can eat chewy or crunchy food to your heart’s content without worrying about dentures falling out of your mouth or breaking.
Even foods like corn on the cob can stay on your menu! You never have to worry about dentures slipping and sliding while you’re eating. So you can eat whatever you want, wherever you want, and you don’t have to worry about becoming embarrassed!
They Look More Natural
As technology grows and changes, traditional dentures and bridges look more and more natural. However, with modern materials and technology, dental implants look exactly the same as your natural teeth.
The implant prosthetics are made to fit your exact specifications. So your smile will look as good as it feels! If your teeth surrounding your implant are healthy and white, your prosthetic tooth will be designed to look the exact same way.
There are shades to match the exact shade of your natural teeth, regardless of their color.
No one will be able to tell which teeth are your natural teeth and which ones are the implants!
They Prevent Bone Loss
We often don’t pause to think about the roots of our teeth until they hurt. But they actually play a vital role in the growth of your jawbone. As we mentioned earlier, once you lose your tooth, you will start to develop bone loss and you can develop a sunken-in look.
The titanium rod that anchors your implant into your bone helps to send those same signals to your jawbone so you don’t develop bone loss.
Dental implants help to protect your jaw from bone loss and can prevent your face shape from changing over time!
Are Dental Implants Worth the Cost?
Ultimately, the only downsides to dental implants are the cost and the recovery time from the initial surgery. There is no better, more complete, or more natural-looking substitute for tooth replacement than dental implants. They are absolutely worth the cost if you can afford it.
There’s no comparison when it comes to good dental implants!
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