Service
Dental Implants
Dental Implants: Missing Teeth? You’re Not Alone
Many of us will lose a tooth at some point due to accidents, decay, or gum issues. Ever wonder about the impact of not replacing lost teeth with implants? Often, people skip the dentist after tooth loss, thinking replacement isn’t necessary. But a missing tooth can affect more than just your mouth health; it can impact your daily life, self-esteem, and career prospects.
Here’s what you should know:
Your Bite Changes
Losing a tooth throws off how your teeth fit together when you bite. The teeth next to the gap tend to shift into the empty space as you chew. The tooth above or below the missing one can also grow out too far. All of this messes up how your teeth line up when you open and close your mouth.
Talking and Eating Get Harder
When you lose a tooth, the bone around it starts to shrink. This spreads to other parts of your jaw over time. It can make it tough to eat and digest food properly, since chewing is the first step in digestion. Your body has to work harder to process food each time you eat. If you’re missing front teeth, it can also affect how you speak.
You Feel Less Confident
One of the hidden costs of tooth loss is feeling more self-conscious and less sure of yourself. Often, a missing tooth makes you smile, talk, and eat less around others, which can really impact your life. If you’re older, a missing tooth might not bother you as much. But for younger folks, it can be a big hit to your self-esteem and make you feel more awkward.
Your Jawbone Shrinks
The bones that hold your teeth in place need the pressure from chewing to stay healthy. When you lose a tooth, that bone starts to shrink because it’s not getting used anymore. Dental implants are the only way to stop this bone loss.
Your Face Shape Changes
Losing teeth and jawbone can make your cheeks look sunken and change the shape of your lips and chin over time. After 15-20 years, bone loss speeds up, making your jaw less defined and your lips and cheeks sag, which can make you look older than you are. To avoid this fast-track to aging, it’s key to get some kind of fake tooth put in as soon as you can.
Options For Replacing Missing Teeth
Horizon Family Dentistry offers options for replacing lost teeth for patients of all ages dealing with tooth loss. Teeth can wear down, chip, or crack at any age due to injury; however, this issue is more often caused by long-term gum disease or infection.
Dental implants are metal anchors that are surgically placed into the jawbone. Small posts are attached to the implant and provide stable anchors for the replacement crown.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are an excellent way to replace one or more missing teeth. These metal anchors are put into the jawbone surgically, with small posts attached that hold replacement crowns securely. Unlike removable dentures that sit on the gums or fixed bridges that rely on nearby teeth, implants offer long-lasting solutions that look, feel, and work like natural teeth – with good care, these replacements may even last a lifetime!
Benefits of Dental Implants:
Implants don’t harm healthy teeth nearby when placed. When replacing missing teeth, implants bond with the jawbone, acting like real teeth. For a one-time cost plus upkeep fees, implants are a valuable solution.
Dental implants encourage bone growth, helping stop jawbone loss and boosting your confidence when eating, talking and smiling.
Fixed Dental Bridges
Dental bridges offer a short-term fix for missing teeth, usually lasting 7-15 years, with some up to 20. However, this method has downsides; healthy teeth next to the gap must be filed down and capped, which can weaken them over time and may lead to root canals or more tooth loss later. Also, bridges don’t stop bone loss around them. Talk to one of our Havelock dentists about whether implant-supported bridges might be a better choice.
Fixed Bridge – two crowns are made for the teeth on each side of the gap, and a false tooth is anchored between them.
Removable Dentures
Removable dentures can fill most gaps left by missing teeth cheaply and easily, usually costing less than bridges or implants and being less invasive. But denture wearers often worry about slipping, which affects their confidence when smiling or laughing; it also impacts eating enjoyment and can increase plaque buildup on supporting teeth, leading to decay or gum disease. Like bridges, they don’t address bone loss in the jaw. At Horizon Family Dentistry, we offer implant-supported dentures that provide stability while still letting you eat, speak, and smile confidently! Give us a call to learn more about this option that combines the benefits of dentures and implants.
Begin With A No-Cost Dental Implant Assessment
Generally, your top choices for replacing lost teeth are dental implants, bridges, or dentures – the latter two with or without implants. Yet, it’s crucial to grasp all your options before deciding, and you should understand the pros and cons of each method and its likely results. At Horizon Family Dentistry, we’ll review and clarify all your tooth replacement choices. We’re glad to explain each procedure until you fully comprehend its basic nature. Give us a call today, and we’d be happy to address any questions you may have.
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It all starts with a phone call at Horizon Family Dentistry. When you call our Havelock Dental Clinic, our friendly staff will help you select an appointment time that is convenient for you and your family.
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75 Concession St., Box 540
Havelock, ON K0L 1Z0
7052433856
HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Tuesday: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Wednesday: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Thursday: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Friday: 8:00am - 12:00pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed