tooth replacment options Archives

Do You have a Missing Tooth? We can Restore Your Smile!

If you’ve been struggling to smile with confidence, this is your opportunity to renew your smile with dental implant tooth replacement for the new year! While revitalizing your smile can often make you think about teeth whitening, dental implants are increasing in popularity for enhancing smiles and improving oral health. If you’ve suffered from tooth loss, you may think the smile of your dreams is out of reach, the benefits of dental implants are many as they are often considered the best solution for helping you get your smile back.

Tooth Loss is Common

There’s no reason to be ashamed of missing teeth. Tooth loss is actually quite common in all ages of people. In fact, according to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Nearly 70% of adults aged 35 to 44 years have at least one missing tooth, and 1 in 4 people over the age of 74 are missing all of their teeth. Although early technology (if that’s what you want to call it) used materials such as ivory, human bone, and metal to replace missing teeth, today’s technology has greatly advanced in tooth replacement options.

What is a Dental Implant?

Dental implants act like artificial roots that can be permanently placed in the patient’s jaw bone. As the gum tissue and bone grow around the dental implant, they become a permanent anchor. A natural-looking porcelain crown will be made giving our patients a beautifully-finished result that is attractive, yet helps to improve chewing, maintain bone and prevent teeth from changing positions. Dental implants can even prevent future problems with a patient’s bite, as they offer a permanent replacement for missing teeth and an effective solution that will look and feel as natural as your original teeth.

Related Articles:

Tooth Replacement: Are You a Dental Implant Candidate?
Restore Your Smile with Tooth Replacement Options
Dental Implant Guide

Dental Implant Tooth Replacement Benefits

We love discussing the many perks and dental implant benefits! They not only look and feel like natural teeth, but they also provide a safe and sturdy tooth replacement that will last for many years to come. You can eat without worry, and can easily keep them clean just like you would your natural teeth.

Benefits to consider:

Look like your natural teeth
Dental implants can last 20 years or more
Easy to keep clean, less work than dentures
Dental implants fully restore a smile
Replace a single missing tooth or multiple missing teeth
Restore full function of the mouth
Boost confidence
Benefits your oral health and overall health
More secure than dentures
Comfortable bite
Permanent tooth replacement

More from the exerts about dental implant tooth replacement:

What does WebMD have to say about the Advantages of Dental Implants? Learn more HERE.
Learn more about dental implants from The American Dental Association HERE.

The Importance of Replacing Missing Teeth

It can be easy to get used to missing teeth over time, but the reasons to replace them are many:

Gaps in-between teeth are harmful for surrounding teeth
A full smile gives you great confidence
If you don’t fill gaps, tooth decay and plaque are more likely to develop
Bone loss occurs
Aesthetic issues such as a sunken and aged appearance
Lose full function of the mouth

The Process of Restoring Missing Teeth with Dental Implants

Figuring out how dental implants work can be confusing, so we’re breaking down the dental implant tooth replacement process. It’s really pretty simple. Some patients can have the implants and replacement teeth placed all in one visit. While other patients might need to wait until the implant is completely integrated, up to several months, before replacement teeth can be attached to the implant. Replacing teeth with dental implants can be a lengthy process – sometimes taking a few months to fully complete, but the reward of a beautiful, long-lasting smile is worth it.

First X-rays and impressions of your teeth will be made.
Next, the implant will be placed. This is a surgical procedure where an anesthetic is given to eliminate pain. We will make a small incision in the gums to insert the implant into the jaw bone. This gives a sturdy post for the tooth to stay on and the jawbone around the implant will be given time to heal. What makes an implant so strong is that the bone actually grows around it and holds it in place.
Once the implant is placed, the healing process begins so your implant can fully fuse to the jawbone.
After the healing process from the implants, an abutment is placed on the implant to prepare it for the false tooth. The abutment will support the new false tooth.
Now, after that appointment, your false tooth can be placed (a custom dental crown) and your process is complete.

Note: There is a healing process that usually takes some time. However, during your healing process, your dentist may give you a temporary crown, bridge or denture to help you eat and speak normally until your permanent replacement is ready.

More surgery info from The Mayo Clinic.

What is a Dental Crown and How is it Used?

It’s easier than you think to turn a broken, cracked, or decaying tooth into a healthy, clean-looking tooth. A dental crown is a type of dental restoration that completely caps or encircles a tooth or dental implant. It also corrects your tooth and strengthens it by fitting tightly over your existing tooth. Once it’s set, it’s just like having a natural tooth.

the final step after receiving a dental implant or root canal treatment
to improve the strength or appearance of teeth
for a tooth that is severely broken down, has cracks, or has had a root canal to reinforce the tooth
needed when a large cavity threatens the ongoing health of a tooth

Remember, your dental crown tooth replacement is not complete until your dental crown is placed!

Dental crowns will allow your tooth to function normally again without worrying about the tooth cracking. Learn More HERE.

Let’s Recap … Why are Dental Implants So Popular?

Aesthetically, they look just like a healthy tooth; but they also keep the jaw bone stable. If you leave a missing tooth and don’t replace it, over time the jaw bone will disappear. Of course, this can lead to functional problems. Not to mention an aesthetic problem with your face. Because the jaw bone is what supports your cheeks, so the loss of it can lead to small changes, such as deepening expression lines in the face, or ultimately having the look of a collapsed jaw, all causing you to take on a more aged appearance!

Dental implants allow you to be able to chew your food without issue, including fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. They are easier to care for too; dental implants can be cared for the same way as natural teeth, with a toothbrush and floss.

We’ve talked about a lot, but we haven’t mentioned the greatest, most life changing reason for tooth replacement with dental implants… Implants are a permanent solution!

How wonderful! Ask any patient that had conventional dentures and decided to have dental implants placed for better support and they will tell you it was the best decision they’ve ever made!!

It’s Time for a Conversation

If you’re ready to take the next step in your smile journey, and have the time to give to dental implants, we’d love to talk with you more about starting the dental implant tooth replacement process. We will create a customized dental plan that works with your schedule to achieve the smile of your dreams with dental implants. We can help restore not only the beauty of your smile, but also the form and function of your teeth. Please schedule a consultation with Dr. Skrobanek at GPS Dental in San Antonio, we look forward to talking with you and creating a treatment plan customized especially for you.

Dr. Gary P. Skrobanek’s experienced and friendly team at GPS Dental offers affordable dental care for all ages in San Antonio, TX area. Our Brooks City Base dentist office is conveniently located and offers early morning appointment times Monday through Friday to meet your needs. At GPS Dental, we promote dental health awareness to our patients and provide most dental services, from family and general dentistry to dental implants, sleep apnea, TMJ / TMD Treatment, cosmetic dentistry and much more. We accept most dental insurance plans and offer affordable financial solutions for any budget. Call us at 210-633-3477 to make an appointment.

tooth-replacement-options

Most people, once they get older and grow into their final, permanent set of teeth, will keep the majority of those teeth for the rest of their lives. However, there is no guarantee that you’ll keep all your teeth, even for someone who is brushing, flossing, and regularly seeing a dentist, you may still need to know about tooth replacement options. Some non-oral health conditions can impact the mouth, such as people with diabetes who are more likely to have gum infections that can affect the teeth. Athletes can get into accidents that knock out teeth. Even a fall or other incident in everyday life can cause enough physical impact that teeth can be damaged or need to be removed.

When this happens, what are your tooth replacement options?

Tooth Replacement Options: Partial Replacement

Damage to teeth occurs at different scales. In some cases, a good portion of the original tooth will remain, and it is only a chip, crack, or small piece of the tooth that is missing, while the part anchored into the gum remains healthy.

In these cases, only partial repair or restoration may be required. Veneers, for example, are simply a thin layer of porcelain-like materials that are attached to the front of your tooth and can smooth or even out chipped, cracked or uneven teeth for a straighter, more uniform smile. Crowns, or dental caps, are fitted over your existing tooth and act as a replacement for the entire top of a tooth, while still leaving the bottom intact.

Tooth Replacement Options: Total Replacement

In other instances, teeth may be gone entirely. Or for reasons of infection or decay, your tooth may need to be removed. These situations will require total tooth replacement options. If one or two teeth are missing, one alternative is dental implants. These are complete “replacement teeth” with a titanium “screw” that is inserted into the gums to anchor into the jaw, just as the original teeth did. A crown is then placed on the screw to complete the replacement.

The Skinny on Dental Implants in San Antonio

Affordable Dental Implants: Fact or Urban Legend?

If many teeth are missing, then dentures are another solution. This is an older method, also referred to as “false teeth,” where a set of synthetic teeth and gums sit directly on your natural gums. Depending on the number of healthy teeth you have remaining, you can get full dentures, which are a complete set of teeth for your upper or lower jaw, or you can get partial dentures that will only replace the affected areas.

Tooth Replacement Options: Which Option is Right for Me?

One important consideration to keep in mind is that implanted teeth are inserted directly into the gums and jaw and they will help retain the original shape of the face. Bone actually grows around the screws, further anchoring them, in addition to preserving the jaw line.

When teeth are absent, the body redirects bone growth away from the jaw, since the nutrients are no longer required to keep teeth healthy, so you may experience further degeneration. So tooth replacement options that don’t use implants run the risk of accelerating or doing nothing to stop “premature aging.” The shape of the face will change and become more withdrawn, leading to an overall appearance of being old. Dentures also require some dietary changes because many hard foods, like nuts, for example, are much more uncomfortable to eat. Dental implants have no such dietary restrictions since they essentially complete tooth replacement options.

Whatever the condition of your mouth or the state of your teeth, you should know that you have options to restore your oral function and appearance.

Dr. Gary P. Skrobanek’s experienced and friendly team at GPS Dental offers tooth replacement options for all ages in San Antonio, TX area. Our Brooks City Base dentist office is conveniently located and offers early morning appointment times Monday through Friday to meet your needs. At GPS Dental, we promote dental health awareness to our patients and provide most dental services, from family and general dentistry to dental implants, sleep apnea, TMJ / TMD Treatment, cosmetic dentistry and much more. We accept most dental insurance plans and offer affordable financial solutions for any budget. Call us at (210) 633-3477 to make an appointment.

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SMILE: Dental Implant Tooth Replacement Can Restore Your Missing Tooth