Dental Implants Are You Ready For Them?

If you have missing teeth that you are currently using bridges or dentures to replace, you may be interested in upgrading your mouth to dental implants. Implants look just like your real teeth and unlike bridges or dentures that require special care and special diets, they wear in your mouth just like your natural teeth.Dental implants have two parts. The first part is the part visible above the surface of your gum line, just like your natural tooth. This part resembles your natural tooth, even down to the same shade of white of the surrounding teeth. The lower part of the dental implant is a titanium screw that is surgically implanted into your jaw bone. Just as your real tooth is anchored by roots in your gum, your implant is anchored into your jaw. The advantage to a dental implant over bridges or dentures is great. First, you dont have to remove your implant to clean it like you do with bridges or dentures. Because you can just brush and floss your implant like a real tooth, no one will ever know its not a real tooth. You cant do that with dentures or bridges. Another advantage with implants is the fact that they are just a strongly anchored in your mouth as your natural teeth. You can safely eat anything you want- even steak or caramel apples without the fear, worry and embarrassment that your teeth will come out. With dentures or bridge work not only do you have to restrict your diet to avoid these mishaps but sometimes it happens anyway with ill fitting prosthetics.Dentures and bridges both will wear down your jaw bone and as a result you will constantly need to have them refitted so they sit right. Poorly made or dentures that dont fit right can cause your mouth to develop painful sores and make wearing your teeth painful. If you are ready to consider dental implants you need to see your dentist and find out if you are a good candidate for them. You may need to have a CT scan done to make sure you have enough jaw bone density to surgically screw the dental implants into to. If youre a smoker you will have to stop smoking since smoking can cause your mouth to heal to slowly after your surgery and your dentist will want to make sure you have the best chance of success possible.The only other consideration is you need to be in good overall health and as with any surgical procedure have realistic expectations about the results.Most patients who have dental implants report that the implants wear and last like real teeth and with the proper care you should fully expect your implant to last twenty years or longer.