Your smile is more than what you see on the surface, and when you lose a tooth, the loss can have more implications than you realize at first. For example, in addition to the loss of the tooth’s visible portion, called the crown, the missing root within your jawbone structure can have long-lasting impacts on your oral health and structures. Because of this, patients who experience tooth loss can benefit more by replacing it with a restoration that’s supported by a dental implant post. Together, a dental implant and crown can replace all of your lost tooth’s structure, which can have significant advantages for your immediate and long-term oral health.
How a dental implant works
A dental implant is a three-part restoration designed to comprehensively replace a lost or extracted tooth. It consists of a dental implant post that’s implanted into the jawbone, an abutment, and a lifelike crown (or appropriate restoration) supported by them. The dental implant post is made from biocompatible titanium, and when it’s placed within your jawbone, the bone structure heals to the post as though it were a natural part of your body. When the process is complete, the abutment is attached the implant post and used to support the custom-designed, highly lifelike dental crown.
Benefiting immediately from an implant crown
The difference between a dental implant crown a more conventional dental bridge, which is the traditional solution for tooth loss, is the biocompatible post that acts as a prosthetic root for your restoration. For example, a traditional dental bridge also consists of a highly lifelike replacement tooth, but utilizes one or two dental crowns attached to nearby teeth to support it. By contrast, a dental implant gives your replacement tooth a replacement root to rest on, helping you avoid having to alter your remaining healthy, natural tooth structure as part of your smile restoration.
The longer-term benefits to your oral health
Avoiding the need to modify your healthy tooth structure is an important benefit to replacing a lost tooth with a dental implant and crown. However, replacing your lost tooth root is also vital to preserving your long-term oral health – particularly, the foundation of your smile. Healthy teeth roots are the source of stimulation that keeps your jawbone structure healthy. Losing a tooth root means a drop in this stimulation, and replacing it with a dental implant is the only way to reestablish it.
Replace your lost tooth with an implant crown
If you’ve lost a tooth, then replacing it with an implant-supported dental crown can benefit your smile in more ways than you might expect. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Gentle Smiles in Dallas, TX, today at 972-329-7645 (972-329-SMILE).
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