Dental implants are a common replacement for missing teeth and come with a host of benefits, not least restoring a winning smile!
Dental implants are small titanium support pillars that an implant dentist inserts directly into the patient’s jawbone. This helps imitate the design of a proper, healthy tooth and so prevents degradation of the jawbone which would otherwise occur with other treatments, or if the gap was left unfilled.
The titanium support is then topped off with a dental crown that looks exactly like a natural tooth – in fact, a dental implant will be indistinguishable from a real, healthy tooth!
Aside from the aesthetic qualities of dental implants, they offer other benefits including the reinforcement of the patient’s bite, strengthening of the surrounding teeth, and increased durability – unlike other alternatives, dental implants can last a lifetime if properly maintained through a good oral hygiene regime.
Another benefit of dental implants is, because they are an artificial tooth, they are not susceptible to cavities and so aren’t affected by sugars or acids which might attack and weaken tooth enamel. However, that doesn’t mean that you can excuse yourself from giving the dental implant the same level of dental care as normal, healthy teeth, as the gum tissue surrounding the dental implant can still be susceptible to gum disease.
And so, a proper dental hygiene regime is important to ensuring that your healthy teeth – and your dental implant – remain free from both cavities and gum disease, through regular brushing and flossing, and professional cleaning during dental check-ups. As a result, maintaining dental implants is much easier than maintaining other dental reconstruction techniques, such as dentures which require nightly removal and special cleaning solutions.
When considering which dental reconstruction option best fits the patient’s situation, there are bound to be questions surrounding each of the options available – dental implants, dentures and dental bridge treatment – and so consulting with an implant dentist can help the patient get answers to all the questions they might have, and so help the patient make the best choice for their oral health moving forward.
To learn more about dental implants in the Long Island area, contact Broadway Dental at 516-681-2525 today.