3 Surprising Facts About Dental Implants

If you’ve lost one or more teeth, you’re likely considering several tooth replacement options. Full or partial dentures are common choices for people with multiple missing teeth, whereas patients missing only one tooth may consider a bridge. There’s one option that works whether you’re replacing one tooth or several teeth, and that is dental implants. Even though dental implants have been around since the 1960’s, the public doesn’t seem to know much about them.

Dental implants are considered the industry’s gold standard for replacing lost teeth. This is mainly because they’re designed to closely mimic a natural tooth and provide all the functionality you had before your tooth loss.

If you’ve been looking into tooth replacement options for yourself or a loved one, you’ve probably learned some of the basic facts about dental implants. For example, you may know that a dental implant consists of a titanium post that is anchored to your jawbone, a tooth shaped crown, and an abutment that holds the crown to the post. You may also know that dental implants look and function like your natural teeth and that only your dentist will know that you have them. There are still some things about dental implants that you may not have discovered while doing your research.

Here a few facts about dental implants that may surprise you:

Dental Implants Can’t Get Cavities, But You Still Need to Brush

The material used to make dental implants can’t decay like your natural teeth, which means no more cavities or fillings.  It’s important though to note that just because they can’t get cavities, you still need to continue brushing and flossing your teeth. For one thing, if you only have one or a few dental implants, you’ll need to continue to take care of the natural teeth that are left. Even if you have all of your teeth replaced, you’ll still be susceptible to gum and tissue infections if you don’t keep your mouth clean. Food particles and bacteria will still collet on your implants, and while they may not cause decay, allowing them to build up can result in inflammation and infection of the living tissue in your mouth.

Dental Implants Outlast Other Tooth Replacement Options

Ideally, you would keep your natural teeth for the rest of your life, but when that can’t happen, you want a durable tooth replacement option. Most tooth replacement options, however, are not permanent. A bridge, for example, is only as healthy as the teeth around it and will need to be replaced if one of the teeth on either side of the bridge is damaged. A bridge tends to put pressure on the teeth around it, so damage is almost inevitable. Dentures also aren’t permanent and over time, they’ll become worn or need to be adjusted or replaced as your mouth changes shape.

Dental implants, however, are a permanent tooth replacement option. They’re anchored into place and will only need to be removed if they become damaged or in rare cases of dental implant failure. As long as you take care of your dental implants the way that you would take care of your natural teeth, you should have them for the rest of your life.

Dental Implants are More Popular And Affordable Than You Might Think

There’s a misconception that dental implants are an uncommon choice among dental patients, but the truth is that more and more patients are choosing dental implants every day. According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, three million patients have dental implants, and the number of patients choosing implants continues to grow by as much as 500,000 a year.

Dental implants have become more affordable and accessible as the technology involved in placing them has advanced. If you’re considering dental implants for yourself, you are among a growing number of patients who are making the same choice.

If you think that dental implants will work for you, check with the caring specialists at Atlanta Oral & Facial Surgery  We have an exceptional care team dedicated to resolving complex health concerns in ways that consistently earn the trust of patients, those who care for them and referring dentists.  As the largest oral surgery group of its kind in the United States, we have revolutionized our patient journey into a thoughtfully designed holistic experience that addresses patient concerns, centralizes and simplifies processing, and inspires confidence in exceptional outcomes.

Oral health is at the center of wellbeing, so we invest our time, talents, and resources to deliver remarkable care that enhances quality of life and transcends the expected healthcare experience.

For more information about our practice, visit our website or contact us at 478-401-1527.