If you mourn your missing teeth and wish you could have them back, there’s only one choice that brings you close to that impossible dream: dental implants. Customized dental implants restore your confidence and maintain your oral health. Here’s how.
If you’re one of the 120 million people in the United States who are missing at least one permanent tooth, or one of the 36 million who have no teeth at all, you probably wish you could turn back the clock. “If only it were XX years ago” — before you lost your teeth to decay or in an accident. If only you had your teeth back.
Unfortunately, unlike our livers, our teeth can’t regenerate. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. The only thing you can do is replace them as soon as possible to protect your other teeth (if you have them), restore your smile and confidence, and preserve your oral health.
While you could choose dentures or a bridge to fill in a missing span of teeth, those solutions aren’t as comprehensive as dental implants. Not only are dental implants the solution that most closely mimics the look of your teeth, they mimic the function, too. At
AB Dental and Oral Surgery, our expert dentist Dr. Anthony Osei, recommends dental implants as a first-line tooth replacement. If you’re a candidate for dental implants, we’re with you every step of the way at our clinic in San Antonio, Texas.
Do you want to restore your confident smile? Do you want to maintain or improve your oral health? Here’s how dental implants help you do just that.
Dental implants look like teeth
Although even high-quality dentures are well-crafted enough to resemble real teeth at first glance, the resemblance falls off the closer you get. In addition, to get dentures that are customized to match your natural tooth size, shape, and color, you’re already in the price range of dental implants.
Unlike dentures, which come in varying degrees of verisimilitude and price, dental implants are, by their very nature, as close as possible to your natural teeth. Each tooth is an individual creation, just like your real teeth. We use the measurements of your jaws and any remaining teeth to recreate your missing tooth or teeth.
You don’t have artificial gums with dental implants. Instead, each false tooth “root” is inserted deeply into your gums and jaw, just like a real tooth. When you smile — no matter how gummy your smile is or isn’t — the gums you reveal are your own gums. No matter how close anyone gets, they won’t be able to tell that you have dental implants.
Dental implants act like teeth
Although your first consideration may be to restore the beauty and confidence of your smile with natural-looking replacements, your next concern should be function. No other tooth replacement offers the same degree of oral health protections that dental implants do.
What makes dental implants unique are the artificial roots that hold them in place in your jawbone. These “roots” are made of titanium or other metals and have a screw-like configuration so your bone can easily fuse with them.
After they’ve been surgically implanted in your jawbone, your jaw creates new bone cells that grown around to the implants. This is why implants are so secure, and you never have to worry about them slipping, like dentures or a bridge might, when you eat or chew gum.
The implant “roots” hold your customized false teeth tightly in place. In addition, every time you chew, the stress on your molars travels down the titanium post and vibrates your jawbone. This force triggers the production of new bone cells that keep your jawbone healthy and strong.
If you have dentures or bridges, however, you don’t have any kind of roots to transmit that stress and vibration. Instead, your bone is not stimulated to produce new bone cells. Over time, your jawbone will atrophy due to lack of triggering stress.
Dental implants are worry-free
Dental implants are as secure and stable as real teeth, and they help keep your jawbone strong. They also let you have the most natural and beautiful smile possible.
But they have other advantages, too. First, dental implants are stain resistant, so you never have to worry about teeth-whitening treatments again. You don’t even have to refrain from drinking coffee or wine anymore.
You don’t have to worry that they’ll slip in the middle of a meal. You don’t have to worry that they’ll break while they’re soaking overnight.
Finally, you don’t need to buy special cleaners, use new techniques, or develop new habits to keep your implants clean. Simply brush your teeth twice a day and floss once a day — the same as you would for your natural teeth. Don’t forget to see us at least twice a year for a thorough exam and professional cleaning, too.
If you want a confident, healthy smile with dental implants, call us at 210-682-2700 for a consultation and evaluation, or schedule an appointment with our online form.
