At Zental many of our patients have been delighted with the results of our treatment to replace lost teeth using dental implants – a fixed method of replacing your missing teeth and the closest resemblance we have to the real thing.
Before the advent of dental Implants If you had one or two teeth missing, a common means of replacing these teeth would be denture or dental bridge.
A denture is a removable set of teeth made from acrylic and supported by either an acrylic or chrome base. These are quick. easy and relatively cost effective ways of replacing multiple missing teeth but they do have the major disadvantage of being removable and effecting taste and speech.
Dental bridges on the other hand are replacement teeth usually made in porcelain & individually designed to be placed between natural teeth and anchored by the teeth either side of the gap. Whilst this solution provides a fixed replacement for the missing teeth in the case of preparing the mouth for a bridge, a dentist will need to cut down healthy adjacent teeth for support.
The great advantage of implants is that they can be used to replace more than one missing natural tooth and provide a much more long-term effective solution. Unlike a bridge, a dental implant does not require the dentist to prepare abutment teeth – a process that can potentially remove perfectly healthy tooth structure.
Dental implants are synthetic posts placed in the jawbone usually made from titanium, designed to mimic the role of a tooth root. The jawbone eventually envelops the implant, in a process called osseointegration, creating a solid foundation for a new, custom-made tooth. The implant won’t put any strain on other teeth and they are easier to maintain with a simple cleaning process and the opportunity for flossing between them and natural teeth.
Implants look and feel just like your natural teeth, so you will be able to eat, speak and laugh, boosting your confidence and enhancing your quality of life. Your jawbone will also be stimulated and won’t shrink
– which means you’ll be spared the facial sagging that missing teeth can cause.
At Zental, we always begin with an in-depth consultation first, to assess your dental health and confirm that the treatment you are after is right for you. If you are not already dentally fit, we may need to complete other treatments, such as cleaning of your gums, straightening of your teeth or bone grafting, before we can consider dental implants.
It’s definitely worth spending time looking at the benefits of the two options of treatment before deciding. Both solutions can help restore functionality and save your smile, but high-quality implants require less maintenance and can last for many years, whereas dental crowns and bridges may require cutting down healthy teeth and have to be replaced every couple of years.
