Missing Teeth? Learn About Dental Implants

Just like losing teeth, replacing teeth isn’t always as simple as it may seem. Besides looking natural, your replacement teeth are also responsible for restoring your teeth’s functions, and must be strong and stable enough to do so. Dental implants, which are small, biocompatible titanium posts, aren’t designed to reinvent the concept of prosthetic dentistry, but rather improve it by providing replacement teeth with the support that natural teeth possess—roots. Whether you’ve recently lost teeth or wish to improve your current dental bridge or denture, your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, recommends learning more about the benefits of dental implants.

The Immediate Benefits of Dental Implants

If you’ve worn dentures for a while, or know someone who has, you may be familiar with the phenomenon of denture slippage. When first crafted, dentures are designed to fit snugly over your dental ridge, held firmly to your gums with dental adhesive as you bite, chew, speak, and smile. Over time, however, dentures can lose their grip, becoming loose and shifting uncomfortably. Instead of adhesives, dental implants provide anchors for your dentures (or other dental prosthesis) that are surgically inserted into the jawbone. Like teeth roots, dental implants prevent your replacement teeth from moving around, creating a longer-lasting (and more lifelike) restoration.

The Long-Term Necessity of Dental Implants

Loose dentures exemplify another common, yet less-understood, consequence of tooth loss. Your teeth’s roots, when stimulated by biting and chewing, promote a healthy flow of nutrient-rich blood to your jawbone. Losing them results in a diminished supply of nutrients, and even though conventional replacement teeth can restore your bite, they can’t reestablish root stimulation. As the jawbone eventually deteriorates from lack of nutrition, your dental ridges change shape, becoming smaller than they were when you were originally fitted with your dentures. As prosthetic teeth roots, dental implants provide the additional benefit of restoring the functions of your lost teeth roots, preserving your smile’s structural integrity by helping prevent jawbone deterioration.

ABOUT YOUR SAN DIEGO PERIODONTIST:

To learn how to keep your teeth and gums healthy for life, subscribe to this blog, and visit Dr. Kania for a consultation. As a board-certified periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania is specially qualified to diagnose and treat issues concerning periodontal tissue and the supportive structures of a patient’s smile, as well as place dental implants to restore teeth lost to dental disease or trauma. To seek Dr. Kania’s expertise, visit our office or contact us today at (760) 642-0711.