Why Delaying Dental Implants Isn’t Wise in Atlanta, GA

If you are missing teeth, dental implants are a wonderful solution to your problem. Lost teeth cause more than just a cosmetic problem, and can also lead to bone loss, defective speech, and changes in chewing that can cause pain. Traditionally, tooth loss has been handled using dental appliances like bridges or dentures, but these don’t really look or function like natural teeth. Dental implants, on the other hand, do. Designed to work similar to natural teeth, they are aesthetically pleasing as well as long-lasting and reliable. They’re easy to care for because they can be treated just like your natural teeth, and that’s one reason for dental implants’ popularity. How popular are they? Over five million dental implants are placed in the United States each year.

So, what are dental implants? A dental implant is a titanium post surgically placed in the jawbone to replace a missing or damaged tooth. For more than 30 years, dental implants have been used to restore the look and health of patients’ mouths. They consist of three parts: an implant post to serve as the root of the tooth, the crown, or artificial tooth, and the abutment, which connects the implant post and the crown. If you are missing teeth, you should go ahead and get dental implants as soon as possible. Here, we look at some reasons for dental implants, and why you shouldn’t wait to get yours done.

Dental implants will stop your teeth from shifting. When a tooth is lost, this creates a gap. The remaining teeth may start to move to fill in the gap, and this can result not only in an unattractive unevenness but also in teeth that are harder to clean. If you can’t clean your teeth because they’ve positioned themselves incorrectly, you are going to have dental health issues down the road. Poor positioned teeth may also affect your chewing capabilities.
Your jawbone is at risk when you have missing teeth. When you have healthy teeth, their roots stimulate the jawbone and help maintain bone mass. When teeth go missing, the jawbone begins to deteriorate and shrink. This can make the implant process more difficult, which is why it’s important to do it quickly. Once the implants are in place, they’ll help keep the level of bone in the jawbone healthy.
Getting dental implants can preserve the look of your face. Missing teeth can mess up your smile, but they can also cause other cosmetic problems. Especially if you have bone deterioration or bone loss, your cheeks will begin to sag and make you look older than you are.
You will speak more clearly once your teeth are replaced. Missing teeth make it hard to enunciate and can cause you to sound like you have a lisp. Dental implants, by replacing the tooth, restore your ability to speak clearly.
Dental implants can improve your mental health. Restoring missing teeth can help give your self-esteem a boost because you won’t be constantly worrying about how you look and sound to others. However, the benefits to your mental health go deeper than that. When people are missing teeth, they tend to avoid smiling or cover their mouths when they smile or talk. Embarrassment and social discomfort because of their missing teeth can make lead to progressive social isolation, anxiety, and depression.

For over four decades, Atlanta Oral and Facial Surgery has provided a long list of oral and facial solutions to restore our patients’ smiles and improve their quality of life. The region’s premier choice for oral and maxillofacial surgery, we have an impeccable safety record and a team of highly trained, board-certified surgical professionals, committed to patient safety and surgical excellence. AOFS is the largest oral surgery practice in the United States, and we offer a wide range of treatments including dental implants, wisdom teeth removal, facial reconstruction, TMJ, and more. We are dedicated to helping patients achieve optimal health and wellness, and it is our ambition to provide our broad scope of surgical services to our community. We are here to guide you through all of your oral surgery needs. Call us for more information at 478-401-1527, or contact us through our website to schedule a consultation.