It’s not entirely unusual for people to lose their teeth. Naturally, we all lose our baby teeth to make way for permanent, adult teeth. Later in life, we may lose teeth to trauma from sporting injuries or other accidents, or to conditions like decay and gum disease often brought on by poor oral hygiene.
What do you do when you lose a tooth? There are several options. Some people choose removable dentures or more permanent bridgework to replace a lost tooth and preserve a beautiful smile. The best course of treatment, however, is probably a dental implant.
This false tooth sits atop a titanium screw in your jaw, making it extremely durable, not to mention practical. With a dental implant in place you can eat, drink, smile, and continue your oral hygiene regimen with confidence.
You should also know that dental implants can help to prevent bone loss in your jaw that is common with tooth loss. How is this possible? Here’s what you should know.
Bone Augmentation
Bone loss is a common side effect of tooth loss, and while not every tooth loss will necessitate bone augmentation prior to an implant, it’s normal for a dentist to have to treat bone deficiency before a dental implant can be installed. Options for bone augmentation could include the use of bone grafts, growth factors, or even synthetic materials, although natural bone augmentation is best. Once the jaw bone has been fortified, the dental implant procedure can begin.
Preventing Infection
3D imaging is used not only to determine the amount of bone augmentation needed for an implant, but also to create a false tooth that best fits the open space in your mouth. A dental implant is designed to fit perfectly where your old tooth once sat, seamlessly integrating into your smile and seating perfectly along your gum line. This, paired with the fact that you can brush and floss normally, can help to prevent infections and decay that might cause further bone loss in the jaw, not to mention the loss of additional teeth.
Preserving Structure
When one of your teeth is missing, the teeth around the open gap will start to shift, leaning in toward each other. When a tooth is present in the jaw, the bone must support it. With no tooth to support, the jaw bone could atrophy, causing further damage. A dental implant replaces both the upper portion of the tooth and the roots, so to speak, which helps to prevent jaw atrophy and tooth movement, preserving the structure of the mouth and preventing further bone loss.
