Have you had enough of the messy and time-consuming process involved in wearing dentures? Are you tired of their slipping out at the wrong moments (not that there is ever a “right” one?) and embarrassing you? Maybe you are living with the pain due from a broken or severely cracked tooth? Or you’ve been self-conscious about smiling for years due to gaps from lost teeth?
No matter which situation you’re in, Dr. Tom Trinkner of Columbia, SC, would like you to be educated about dental implants to discover whether they can be a solution for your dental problems. Below are 6 problems that dental implants can help solve.
1. You have a severely cracked tooth or a broken tooth.
If you have a cracked or broken tooth that cannot be fixed, a dental implant may be the solution. While dentists normally try their best to save as much of a tooth’s natural structure as possible, if the tooth is too damaged to save, a tooth extraction followed by an implant to replace it once the site has healed might be the best option. If an implant is needed, rest assured that Dr. Trinkner or your area dentist ensure the implant looks and functions just like your own natural teeth.
2. You are missing one or more of your natural teeth.
Gaps in your smile due to missing teeth can be embarrassing and can make you self-conscious about your smile or even about just talking or eating in front of others. However, they cause more problems than just cosmetic ones. Gaps from missing teeth can lead to shifting teeth which can destabilize your bite. With dental implants, the empty spaces are filled with natural-looking prosthetic teeth that will look, feel and function just like your natural teeth. It’s possible you may eventually forget you have an implant!
3. You have loose-fitting partials or a loose-fitting denture.
Loose-fitting dentures or partials can be embarrassing and frustrating to deal with on a daily basis. Implants are a good alternative to dentures and partials as they are permanently attached directly to your jawbone. You will never have to worry about your implants falling out while you are speaking or eating.
4. You are starting to experience bone loss (in the jaw area).
It’s not widely known that missing teeth will cause your jaw bone tissue to deteriorate but dental implants can actually promote growth of new healthy bone tissue. The root of the implant that gets screwed directly into the jawbone and acts just like a natural root. Implant roots are made from titanium or zirconium, materials that naturally bond with the existing bone tissue in a process called osseointegration, which stimulates new bone growth and stops deterioration.
5. You have a sunken-in look to your facial appearance.
You might have noticed that some denture-wearers’ mouths have a sunken-in or caved-in look to them? This is a common problem for these individuals as they grow older. Because dentures do not stimulate the growth of new bone tissue as implants do, the bone continues to deteriorate over time, resulting in mouth regression. Dental implants solve this problem by stimulating bone growth in the jaw around the implant.
6. You have a tooth that cannot be saved.
Sometimes a severely decayed tooth cannot be fixed, particularly if it already has had multiple fillings, and it must be extracted. Your dentist will make this determination after a thorough examination. If this is the case a dental implants are a great option since they will look, feel and work like your natural teeth.
Dental Implants in Columbia, SC
Live in or near Columbia? Call our offices at 803-400-8729 for an implant consultation with Dr. Trinkner or schedule with us online. We look forward to helping you restore your smile!