Dental implants are intended to replace natural teeth that have been lost or extracted. So, it may seem counterintuitive that the devices can actually protect natural teeth at the same time.
In reality, they can. Dental implants do a much better job of preserving neighboring biological teeth than other tooth replacement alternatives, which are primarily designed to address cosmetic rather than structural concerns.
Dallas patients quickly discover that dental implants have minimal impact on the teeth adjacent to the implant site. A fixed permanent bridge requires healthy enamel of adjoining teeth to be shaved down to accommodate crowns that hold the replacement tooth in place. Dental implants, on the other hand, anchor a prosthetic tooth with no involvement of the remaining teeth.
Furthermore, dental implants offer a layer of protection against the jawbone atrophy that plagues patients when the roots of the natural teeth are absent. In placing dental implants, Dr. John M. Hucklebridge, your implant dentist serving Dallas TX, is essentially replicating the roots of missing teeth.
In this way, dental implants help to stabilize the jaw. When missing teeth’s roots are not replaced and the jawbone is allowed to erode, that process can jeopardize the other teeth, putting the patient at risk for losing more teeth.
The structure of dental implants maintains the tooth’s chewing function, meaning that it absorbs the same forces as a natural tooth would. Those forces continue to be distributed proportionately among all of the teeth, rather than putting extra pressure on a few of them, further safeguarding a patient’s natural teeth.
Because dental implants fit into the smile like natural teeth, they can be maintained in the same fashion. There’s no need to mess with extra equipment to floss, and it’s easier to keep those replacement teeth clean and clear of bacteria that can cause periodontal disease and tooth decay.
If you’ve already lost one tooth and hope to avoid further damage to the others, ask Dr. Hucklebridge about dental implants. They may be the right solution in your case.
