Boca Raton Dental Implants
More and more people are turning to dental implants for replacing missing teeth. The reason is that they are comfortable, long-lasting, and when they are done right they are very esthetic. It's like having your own tooth back.
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Here is a diagram of a dental implant. It consists of a root form that is placed in the bone and a crown that is placed over the root form. Very functional and highly esthetic, from the outside, it is difficult to tell from a natural tooth. And as technology improves, its lifespan continues to increase. |
If you have a single missing tooth, there are two options for replacing it—a dental implant or a dental bridge. Unless the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth also need crowns, it usually makes sense to get a dental implant. To read about the pros and cons of these two options, please read our dental implant vs bridge page.
Dental Implants for Multiple Missing Teeth
The more teeth you are missing, the more important become the advantages of dental implants.
One of the reasons for that is a biological problem that occurs after a tooth is extracted. Your body, sensing the loss, now senses that the bone that was holding the tooth in your jaw is no longer necessary. When there are multiple missing teeth, you end up with large-scale bone atrophy and a condition called facial collapse.
Here is a diagram of facial collapse occuring after all the teeth were extracted. The jawbone shrinks, causing fold lines in the face and a shortening of the lower face. It creates the look that we associate with old age—a sunken face and a short nose-to-chin distance. (Diagram courtesy of Dental Implant Prosthetics, by Dr. Carl Misch. This is the leading dental implant textbook) |
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But having the face look old is a minor problem compared with the difficulty in retaining a denture. When the bone resorbs, there is nothing left to rest a denture on. Sometimes the small amount of bony ridge remaining is sharp, making things more uncomfortable. Chewing efficiency is greatly reduced, and you become a dental cripple, unable to eat anything but soft foods and so worried that your teeth will fall out at the wrong moment that you don't want to be seen in public.
Dental implants prevent this bone resorption and facial collapse. A denture can be retained with as few as two dental implants. Six or more, however, will produce a more stable result.
If you are already suffering from facial collapse and are unable to wear a denture, you can still be helped. Bone grafting can restore your jawbone. We have a periodontal surgeon in our office who does the surgical aspects of this procedure, which is a nice convenience.