How Dental Implants Can Improve Your Smile

Your smile is an important part of who you are
if missing teeth or the use of removable dentures has made you self-conscious of your smile, it could impact your overall self-esteem in a negative way. It
s why you might want to consider dental implants. Not only do dental implants improve the look of your smile, they can also help strengthen your jaw
missing teeth will cause your jaw bone to weaken, which will diminish your ability to chew.

dental implants

How do Dental Implants Work?

Before you can undergo the dental implant process, a specialist will need to examine your teeth and perform a number of diagnostic tests. The types of tests they will run will be based on how many teeth are missing, from which jaw they are missing and for how long they
ve been missing. They may include a CT scan or full mouth x-rays and computer tomography.

The dental implants are typically made out of a combination of materials, including titanium. These materials are safe for your body and help to create an anchor that is surgically placed into your jaw.

Once the anchor is in the jaw, the bone will eventually grow around it, causing the anchor to join with the jaw. This process is known as osseointegration.

Once the anchors have properly joined with the jaw, a prosthetic can be placed onto the anchor. If the dentist determines that your jaw needs more time to heal around the anchor, a temporary replacement tooth can be fabricated before the final restoration can be placed. Dental implants can be used for single tooth loss as well as total tooth loss.

What You Should Know About Dental Implants

The following are a few things that you should know about
dental implants in general.

  • Dental implants have actually been used for decades, although the process has improved greatly.
  • According to the AAID (American Academy of Implant Dentistry), roughly 500,000 American adults undergo the dental implant process every year.
  • As long as the patient follows proper oral hygiene regiments and the proper placement procedures are performed, dental implants have a 98 percent success rate.
  • Although a safe and effective process, some patients are not well suited for dental implants. Patients that have diabetes or leukemia should not undergo dental implant procedures because their body
    s ability to heal is not strong enough to support dental implants. Patients that smoke will need to undergo a smoking cessation program before an implant procedure takes place, as smoking causes diminished oral health.
  • Even if your dental implant procedure was a successful one, your dental implants can fail over time if you don
    t have good oral hygiene habits. You will have to floss and brush your teeth regularly in order to maintain the condition of your dental implants.

Consider Dental Implants

There are a number of reasons why you might want to consider dental implants. Whether you want to improve the strength of your jaw due to missing teeth or you simply want to feel confident in your smile, dental implants may be a good option for you. To find out more about whether you are a good candidate for dental implants, be sure to contact us at
Central Florida Periodontics & Implantology.