Whenever a person is suffering from a missing tooth, they will want to be aware of the various options that they will be able to use to replace the missing tooth. While dental bridges and other options are often used, patients may find that dental implants are the superior option. This is particularly true when individuals review the major benefits that can come from these implants.
Improve Your Appearance
Having a missing tooth can be an embarrassing problem to experience. For those with teeth that are in the front of the mouth or that are otherwise extremely visible, this can be an issue that can severely alter a person's appearance and attractiveness. By investing the time and money into having the missing teeth replaced, you can avoid the self-esteem issues that can arise due to a missing tooth. Some patients may be worried that their replacement tooth will appear to be artificial. However, an experienced dentist will be able to closely match your replacement tooth with your remaining teeth so that this repair will be as discreet as possible.
Prevent Future Issues
Having a missing tooth can present a number of problems as you move through your life. When a tooth is missing, a patient may find that the bones in their jaw will start to erode due to a lack of support. Furthermore, the teeth around the space created by the missing tooth can start to shift positions. In addition to causing your teeth to appear to be crooked, this can also increase the wear on your teeth by causing changes in the way that you chew. Unfortunately, these issues can start to develop fairly soon after a tooth is removed. When individuals are unable to have the new tooth placed in a timely fashion, they may want to have a spacer installed. Spacers will prevent the neighboring teeth from shifting positions until the replacement tooth can be installed.
Enjoy A Low Maintenance Replacement Option
In contrast with most other tooth replacement options, a dental implant will be an extremely low maintenance option. Typically, a patient with this type of tooth will only need to brush and floss the tooth to keep the gums around it healthy. Those with bridges or dentures will find that caring for these prosthetics is much more intensive. For example, individuals with bridges will need to have the entire bridge replaced every few years. Additionally, dentures will need frequent adjustments, and they can be remarkably difficult to clean.
Our oral surgery and general dental website offers important information on how to prevent dry socket following a tooth extraction. After getting your tooth pulled, a protective blood clot develops over the extraction site. Many of our blog posts explain how this protective clot helps promote healing after an extraction.
You'll learn that if the clot is accidentally dislodged, dry socket may occur, which can raise your risk for infection and heavy bleeding. We'll provide you with important tips on how to prevent this by avoiding smoking and drinking through a straw. You'll also learn that swishing water around your mouth should be avoided for a couple of days following your extraction because doing so creates a suction that may dislodge your clot, leading to dry socket.