Carlsbad Dental Tooth Replacement

Your teeth affect your whole body. When they’re healthy, you’re healthier too. A missing tooth can affect your bite, speech, and eating choices. As you rely more on your remaining teeth, you increase the chance they will wear out prematurely, or be damaged or lost. You may also experience headaches and/or jaw pain.

No one wants their appearance and health to deteriorate. However, that can be a natural consequence of missing teeth – the bone can dissolve over time, losing bone height and width. Generally, people can lose up to 25% of their supporting jawbone structure within the first year after tooth loss. Dental implants are more easily placed when teeth are first extracted because bone replacement becomes more complex over time. The great news? Implants act similarly to your natural teeth. They safeguard and preserve your bone structure, oral health, and appearance. Your dentist and the oral surgeon will provide you with options so that you can make the most informed decision concerning tooth replacement.

Tooth Replacement Options
You can select from a number of different options to replace your missing teeth – from temporary to long-lasting solutions.
A good candidate is anyone missing one or more teeth, or who is unhappy with their dentures. Age is not a factor. However, smoking, diseases such as diabetes, and radiation therapy to the area have been shown to lower the success rate of implant placement. X-rays of your jaw will be taken to evaluate whether the bone volume is adequate for dental implants. Detailed X-rays may also be required to determine if other procedures are needed to place implants properly.

Why Select Dental Implants Over More Traditional Types Of Restorations?
There are several reasons: a dental bridge can sacrifice 1-2 millimeters of healthy tooth structure from surrounding good teeth to bridge the space left by the missing tooth/teeth. In addition, removing a denture or a “partial” at night can be inconvenient, and dentures that slip can be uncomfortable and rather embarrassing in public.