Understanding Dental Implants

Seeking for an alternative to dentures for replacing missing teeth? Dental implants Sarasota are something for you to consider. These natural-looking and long-lasting restorations give you an aesthetically pleasing smile and fully functional set of teeth.

Dental implants are usually made of titanium. They are surgically inserted into your jawbone to create an artificial tooth root. The implant will later fuse with your bone so that it becomes a permanent part of your body. Once the healing has taken place, a post is placed which will then follow by an artificial tooth or crown to complete the restoration. The process requires multiple dental visits over the course of a couple of months. However, the satisfaction is priceless.

Most dentists can perform implant procedures nowadays. However, some patients still choose to seek treatment from a specialist i.e. an oral surgeon. In the case where your dentist does not offer this procedure, ask for a referral to another qualified professional for quality treatment.

With excellent oral care, dental implants can last for at least twenty years. With them, you and others won’t even realize they are there. Other benefits of dental implants Sarasota include:

• No diet restrictions, you’re free to eat whatever you want.
• No replacements or updates are necessary.
• Implants looks and feels like natural teeth.
• Easy maintenance by normal brushing and flossing.
• Will not develop tooth decay or cavities.
• They are securely attached to the jaw, so there is no risk of loosening.

Advantages of Dental Implants Sarasota

Dental implants are an excellent treatment option for people with missing teeth. While bridges and dentures can fill also the gaps left by severe tooth decay or gum disease, dental implants have many advantages over these other techniques. Dental implants, generally made of titanium, act as a replacement root for the missing tooth and are fused to the jawbone. Dental implants become a foundation for replacement teeth designed by a dentist and are the closest thing a dentist can provide to mimicking the root of a natural tooth.

Dental implants Sarasota have many benefits, among them:

• Convenient. Dental bridges require that you clean carefully under and around the bridged tooth. Dentures must be removed and cleaned, and they are held in place by messy adhesives. Dental implants are cleaned and maintained exactly as your natural teeth would be. You never have to worry about slippage or cleaning between the replacement bridge tooth and your gum. The tooth is attached to the gum through the dental implant, which is fused with your jawbone.
• Attractive. Dental implants are specially designed to look and feel like your own natural teeth. No one but you and your dentist will know! Because you are looking better, your self-esteem will be higher and you’ll feel better and more confident about your smile.
• Secure. Ill-fitting dentures or dental bridges can slip in the mouth, leading to discomfort, slurred speech and difficulties eating. Because the dental implants are permanently fused with the jawbone, they cannot slip. This allows you to eat, speak, and drink with security.
• Better for your long-term oral health. Dental bridges require that you reduce the surface area and size of your existing teeth in order to support the bridge. Dental implants don’t require that other teeth be reduced, allowing more of your natural teeth to be left intact, improving your overall oral health.
• Durable. With proper care, your implants can last a lifetime.

Benefits of Dental Implants Sarasota

If you’re missing some teeth, you can’t get any better as far as replacing them as you can with dental implants. Bridges and partial dentures can fill many tooth gaps, but dental implants are simply the better choice.

Benefits of dental implants Sarasota include:

• Dental implants are made of titanium and are extremely strong. They are placed in the jaw and stimulate the jawbone the way your natural tooth would. This keeps the bone alive and staves off bone shrinkage. Dental implants are durable and are made to last a lifetime.
• Dental implants are the most convenient choice for tooth replacement, because you can clean them quickly and easily. Dental implants are flossed and brushed exactly as you would your natural teeth, unlike dentures which must be removed and dental bridges that are complicated to clean around.
• Dental implants look better. They are specifically meant to look, feel and function like your own teeth would.
• Dental implants are extremely secure. Bridges and dentures can slip in your mouth, leading to speech difficulties or problems eating. Dental implants cannot slip as they are permanently fused to your jawbone.
• Dental implants are better for your overall oral health. Dental bridges require the reduction of anchor teeth to support the dental bridge, and neither bridges nor dentures stimulate the jawbone. Healthy, preserved teeth and healthy bones are essential to good oral health.

The Role of Dental Implants Sarasota

Dental implants are one of the best tooth replacement methods available, as they provide a natural and permanent solution to missing teeth. Implants are made of strong material such as titanium, and are surgically placed right into your jawbone and then a crown is placed on top to restore your tooth. The implant fuses with your bone as it heals, creating a very comfortable and appealing result. There are a number of reasons that implants have become such a popular solution for tooth restoration.

• Appearance – Implants look and feel like your real teeth. Since they permanently grow into your jaw, they are secure and leave no problems with eating or speaking. You can be confident in your new tooth blending right in with your natural smile.
• Comfort – There are no discomforts with implants as with removable dentures. You can chew effectively and enjoy your normal diet. There is also no gum irritation or exposed nerves that sometimes accompany other tooth replacement methods.
• Convenience – Permanent dental implants eliminate the inconvenience of removing dentures for cleaning and sleeping. There are no messy adhesives to bother with, and your teeth are securely in place.
• Speech – Your teeth play a big part in your ability to speak clearly. Dentures are known to create speech problems when they slip in your mouth, whereas implants never slip and you can continue to speak normally.
• Hygiene – All of your natural teeth are unaffected when dental implants are placed, and the implant itself allows you to practice oral hygiene tasks as usual.
• Confidence – With implants, there is no reason to hide your smile anymore. Your complete smile will be restored and you can be confident in your natural new look.
• Durability– There is a very high success rate with implants. With proper maintenance of regular brushing and flossing and regular checkups, implants usually last up to 15 years or more.

Preserving Bone With Dental Implants Sarasota

Your cosmetic dentist will tell you how important the bones in your jaw and face are, and there are treatments that preserve bone rather than cause them to shrink through a process known as resorption.
The bones in your jaw and face are constantly stimulated by the roots of your teeth. If you lose a tooth, that bone is no longer energized and can begin to shrink away. Dental implant posts, typically made of titanium, mimic the role of the tooth’s natural roots, and continually vitalize the bone, preserving it. As part of the dental implant healing process, the implant post fuses directly to the bone. This fusion is called osseointegration.

Osseointegration is dependent largely upon the quantity and the quality of the bone around the implant site. It takes between three and nine months to achieve osseointegration following dental implant therapy. Patient behaviors like smoking or drinking to excess can slow this process and cause complications. Osseointegration provides a very stable anchor point for the replacement tooth and is often the best choice for replacing a missing tooth.

Dental implants preserve bone and prevent resorption. This allows your facial structure to remain the same, ensuring that your facial structure won’t collapse. Missing teeth that are treated with dental implant therapy stave off problems commonly associated with tooth loss, such as surrounding teeth shifting into the open space or other problems with bite alignment and jaw joints.

Resorption begins immediately following tooth extraction, and this shrinkage will continue over the coming year, horizontally as well as vertically in the mouth. The bulk of the shrinkage happens within the first few months following tooth loss. Replacing this missing tooth with a dental implant can reduce resorption significantly.

The only restorative treatment that preserves bone is dental implant therapy. Talk to your cosmetic dentist to see if dental implants are the solution to your dental needs.

Taking Care of Your Dental Implants Sarasota

If you have recently undergone dental implant surgery, you will want to know how to care for your new implant and what potential problems to look for following surgery, so you may heal properly and maintain your good oral health.

Implant patients are carefully screened to ensure that they are healthy enough for dental implant surgery, as there are always risks and possible complications to the patient. Patients with allergies, existing medical conditions, bleeding disorders, infections or disorders that inhibit healing should be examined thoroughly. The surgeon plans carefully to ensure the success of any dental implant and that the patient heals properly.

Dental implant surgery has a high success rate. Failures of a dental implant usually results from infection, fracture of the implant itself, damage to the nerves, blood vessels and teeth surrounding the implant, or overloading of the dental implant. Poor positioning and poor bone quality can also pose an issue to dental implant success. A qualified surgeon can help avoid these issues, but should you face them, another surgery can replace a failed implant.

Dental implants run the risk of developing peri-implantitis, an infection and inflammation of the bone holding the implant in place. If left untreated, peri-implantitis can lead to the loss of the implant. Be vigilant to the signs of infection and stay in touch with your surgeon, who will give you the best advice for healing.

Once a dental implant is in place, maintain your routine of good oral hygiene. Brush twice a day and floss once, especially before bedtime. It is essential to establish and maintain a lifelong habit of good oral hygiene so that your teeth remain as healthy as possible. See your dentist twice a year for professional check-ups and cleanings.

Non-smokers and patients who have already established patterns of good oral hygiene heal faster and are more likely to have a full recovery. Your surgeon may advise you to stop smoking before your dental implant surgery to improve your odds of successful implant surgery.

Take care of your teeth and your new dental implants, see your dentist regularly, and your dental implants should last a lifetime.

Dental Implant Surgery Recovery

Recovery from dental implant surgery depends on a variety of factors, including the type of procedures necessary to complete your treatment. Whether you have implant surgery in one stage or multiple stages, you may experience some of the following discomforts:

• Minor bleeding
• Pain at the implant site
• Bruising or swelling of face and gums

Immediately following dental implant surgery, you will probably experience a few hours of numbness in your mouth caused by local anesthetic. If your dentist uses IV sedation, you will continue to feel drowsy for a few hours after the procedure. You should plan to rest for a full day following dental implant surgery. You may need to take over-the-counter painkillers to relieve pain in the extraction site.

The first two weeks after dental implant surgery are the most important time of recovery. Taking steps to avoid irritating the extraction site and minimizing the risk of infection are crucial to the success of the implant being able to fuse properly to the jawbone. Your dentist will provide you with a list of aftercare instructions to ensure the success of your implant surgery. If your implant surgeon gives you antibiotics or other types of medication, make sure to take them as directed.

The process for dental implants fusing with the natural bone can take several months to complete. It is vital that you keep all follow-up appointments so your dentist can check the progress of the implant’s integration. This time frame varies depending on individual cases and treatments.

Because dental implants look natural and give you the full functionality of normal teeth, they can make a significant difference in your quality of life. A successful dental implant procedure can last a lifetime, and the benefits you will gain from implants make the recovery and healing time minor.
Dental Implants Look Natural and Function Like Normal Teeth

If you are missing one or several teeth, dental implants may be the solution you’re looking for. Offered at our Sarasota and Bradenton area office, dental implants are abutments surgically placed into your gums and jawbone. Since dental implants are held in place by actual bone and soft tissue, they are sturdier than dentures and other types of removable dental restorations. Given sufficient time for the bone and gum tissue to heal, the dental implants are then capped by realistic dental crowns. When the entire procedure is completed, dental implants look natural and function like your normal teeth. If you live in Sarasota or Bradenton and would like dental implants, contact Sarasota Smile Design today.

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