Dental Implants – Your ‘Root’ To Stronger Replacement Teeth

Dental implants – a superior tooth replacement option

It will probably happen to most of us eventually. We can do all that we can to keep our teeth healthy and indeed we should; but even this is no guarantee that we won’t lose a tooth in the end.

Accidental damage can happen at any time and a tooth that has been weakened may fail when we least expect it.

However much we may dread the thought of losing a tooth, especially at the front of the mouth, when it does, we are left with the decision of how to replace it.

Many people in this situation will probably think of dentures. Some people find these perfectly acceptable and there is no doubt that modern dentures are a great improvement on older versions. For some people though, they lack stability and can move around in the mouth when speaking. For others, they can limit what foods they feel comfortable eating. For people who wish to have a stronger and more stable tooth replacement, Blue Sky Dental can offer them an excellent option in dental implants.

Why dental implants?

There are many good reasons why implants generally provide a better option than dentures for replacing missing teeth. It isn’t just the fact that this is a modern procedure, whereas dentures have been around since the 7th Century BC in some form or another. Newer is not always better, but in this case it very often is.

Let us then take a look at some of the advantages that dental implants provide over dentures.

Stability

The key ‘problem’ with dentures is that they sit on top of your gums. Even using denture adhesives may not prevent them moving around, especially when you eat. Not only can this cause problems with eating certain foods, but the continual movement can cause friction on your gums, potentially leaving them sore and uncomfortable. This isn’t a problem with teeth implants as these do not sit on top of the gums but are stabilised by a replacement artificial tooth root (this is the actual titanium part). Before the crown is attached to this new root, it is allowed to fuse with the bone in the jaw in which it has been placed. Providing that you keep your gums healthy, the bonding between the implant and bone means that the crown that will be attached will be held firmly in place, leaving you to eat anything that you would with a healthy natural tooth.

Strength

Our Chelmsford team only uses high quality implants and crowns. You can be sure then, that your new replacement teeth will offer a high degree of strength which should be more than sufficient for every day use. The biggest threats to dental implants are periodontitis and accidents to that area of the mouth. Whilst this would be a rare occurrence for most of us, if you play a contact sport on a regular basis, please take care and use an appropriate gum protector.

Longevity

It is true that some people wear their dentures for a very long time, but there are a couple of issues with this. Firstly, as the tooth root has been lost with your original tooth, the bone in that area will start to disappear as it no longer has to fulfil the role of holding a tooth root in place. The loss of bone causes the shape of the gums to change, leaving the dentures less well fitting than they used to be.  This can sometimes cause them to visibly move around in the mouth when the person is speaking.  Broken or damaged dentures, usually during cleaning, are quite common too, so even those that have worn them a long time may have had to repair or replace them during that period of time.

Modern teeth implants, on the other hand, have none of these problems and once fully integrated into the mouth should, with good care, last you for many years.

Ease of cleaning

This one is straightforward. To clean dentures, you need to remove them from your mouth and thoroughly clean with a brush. They will also need to be soaked overnight as well, leaving you without teeth when you sleep. On the other hand, implants can be treated exactly like the rest of your teeth and all that is needed is regular brushing, flossing and six monthly check ups at our Chelmsford dental practice.

Confidence

In addition to having strong, healthy and attractive replacement teeth, many people that have had them report an increase in confidence. Without the fear of denture movement or embarrassment when eating, it is hardly surprising that implants give some people a new lease of life.

If you have lost a tooth, or teeth, or have dentures that you are unhappy with, our friendly and experienced implant team can help you change all that. If you would like to discuss this with us, you can arrange a free non clinical consultation by calling Blue Sky Dental on 01245 211070. We look forward to meeting you.