Technology in the field of dentistry has come a long way in recent years. With advances in cosmetic and restorative dentistry, you can now get a complete smile makeover involving veneers, crowns and other aesthetically-pleasing dental restorations to give you a hollywood-quality smile. Here’s a closer look at how dentists can restore your smile.
Dental Implants
Loose-fitting dentures are quickly becoming a museum piece thanks to the development of dental implants. Because they fuse to the bone in your jaw, dental implants are a safe and much more effective way to restore your bite and smile after losing teeth. There are three main parts of a complete dental implant, including:
- Root Implant – A cylindrical post made of titanium that acts as a root for the new tooth.
- Abutment – A connector on the top of the dental implant that connects the implant to the replacement tooth or teeth,
- Crown – A replacement tooth that’s made to match your natural teeth.
Single Tooth Replacement: A single dental implant can be used to replace a missing tooth that’s surrounded by healthy natural teeth. This corrects the bite and keeps the remaining natural teeth in position. Once the root implant is in place and the jaw is healed, the abutment is attached and the crown is fastened into place. Once it’s in place, it’s indistinguishable from your natural teeth.
Fixed Multiple Tooth Replacement: After healing, the permanent abutments are attached and either attached to crowns or to a fixed bridge that replaces several missing teeth. Like the single tooth crowns, the bridge is cemented or screwed into place.
Removable Tooth Replacement: Especially when all of your upper or lower teeth are missing, this kind of implant design attaches to dental implants, from two to six in the jaw. These are often used to replace teeth when you have extensive bone and gum tissue loss. The denture can have attachments that snap into place with the implants.
Dental implants have a very high success rate thus far. With proper oral care, your dental implants can last 20 years to a lifetime. If you’re missing teeth and want to know how you can regain your smile, make an appointment to discuss dental implants.
