Replacing Your Missing Teeth With Implants Or Bridges

If you have spaces in your mouth where teeth are missing, you may be a good candidate for dental implants. If you are a non smoker and in relatively good health, you can benefit from the technology that dental implants provide. Your dentist will replace your missing teeth with an implant, or create a bridge that is secured to your mouth with titanium rods. The teeth will look and feel natural, while giving you the smile that you want. When you are tired of trying to hide your smile, talk with your dentist about your dental implant options.

How Dental Implants are Used

Dental implants are the use of a small titanium rod embedded into your jaw, which acts as an attachment point for a newly created crown. The crown is made out of synthetic material, and fits snugly to the titanium to create a permanent tooth. Even when you have more than one missing tooth, your dentist can replace each missing tooth with an implant and crown. The teeth appear normal, and you don't have to treat them any differently than your normal teeth. 

When a Bridge is Necessary

The traditional way to secure a dental bridge in your mouth is to attach the bridge to nearby teeth on either end of the bridge. While this is still an effective method, you can also have a bridge created that attaches to titanium rods instead. This helps prevent the damage that would occur from an attachment to a nearby tooth. You can have a bridge secured into your mouth, and it won't be visible when you smile.

Why Smokers Can't Get Implants

Smokers who have received dental implants in the past have seen the implants fail frequently. Dentists no longer recommend getting implants if you are a smoker because of the high rate of failure. Smoking causes the gums to be dry, and the motion of inhaling is often prohibitive to the titanium rod implanting securely into the jaw. If you want implants and you are a smoker, quit. You can become a viable candidate for dental implants once you are able to successfully stay away from smoking.

When you don't love your smile and you are struggling with missing teeth, it's time to talk with your dentist about your options. With the technology available today, you can have a great looking, natural smile once again. You don't have to suffer from missing teeth anymore.