Losing your teeth not only leaves unsightly spaces in your smile, but this can weaken and erode the jaw. However, when we replace lost teeth with dental implants, this can strengthen the smile and keep it intact! In today’s blog, your Prairie Village, KS, dentist talks about how we strengthen the smile with our dental implants.
How Tooth Loss Weakens Smiles
What happens when our smile loses one or more of our natural teeth? Obviously, there is now a gap in your smile that could cause embarrassment, and the risk of misalignment is higher too. But the body will also stop sending doses of calcium and phosphorus to the jaw around your lost root. Deprived of these essential nutrients, the jaw weakens and erodes, which means further tooth loss and eventually, an older appearance. Eventually, this could mean your smile can’t support dental implants without first being strengthened with a grafting or sinus lift procedure! But if you see us right away, we can help restore your smile with implant dentistry.
Strengthening Your Jaw with Dental Implants
A dental implant is composed of three main portions. The implant post is made from biocompatible titanium and inserted into the jaw. The abutment is connected to the post and allows us to attach the final portion, the crown that completes your new tooth. We will examine your smile with advanced digital imaging, so we can choose the best angle, position, and depth to insert your root. The body will accept the post as natural bone structure and allow the flow of nutrients to resume, which helps keep your jaw intact and also allows your new tooth to stay in place for decades to come, possibly a lifetime.
The Placement and Restoration Process
Our team will first plan the process in detail, and then we will administer a local anesthetic and sedation to keep you comfortable as we surgically insert the new root into your smile. Once the implant is in place, in a follow-up visit or possibly same-day, we will attach an abutment and then connect the crown, so you have a complete tooth that looks and functions like a natural one. We will discuss proper care to ensure the longevity of your new tooth, and to also protect your remaining natural teeth.
If you have any questions about how we replace a missing tooth with a dental implant, or about keeping your jaw and smile intact, then contact our team today!
Learn More About Securing New and Lifelike Replacement Teeth
Dr. Browne and his team in Prairie Village, KS, are ready to take on the gaps in your smile caused by tooth loss. When you need dental implants, then reach out to our team today by calling 913-901-8585.
