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 A Single Tooth Implant Can Save More Than a Smile!
A single tooth implant can be the best thing that ever happened to a person that loses a tooth.
This is because when a person loses a tooth; a chain reaction is set off that has both aesthetic and medical consequences. The obvious aesthetic impact is a gap is now apparent in a person’s smile, which, depending on the location of the missing tooth, can cause embarrassment in a number of social and professional settings.
Secondly, the biting forces on either side of the space change. Because teeth need each other for support, the change in force causes them to shift. Because there is only an empty space where there had once been a tooth, the two adjacent teeth begin to extrude out of the socket. This makes chewing food increasingly difficult, and can even damage the jaw joint, known as the TMJ.
It is also more difficult to clean teeth that have shifted. Plaque and tartar accumulate in these spaces and can cause cavities and gum disease—both of which can in turn result in permanent bone loss. Eventual tooth loss usually follows once deterioration has progressed to this point.
However, for most people, a single tooth implant is the ideal way to prevent this from happening. It consists of two components. The base is made of a small titanium cylinder that is surgically inserted into the jawbone to replace the missing tooth root. A porcelain crown is placed over this base to function as a tooth replacement. .
In general dentistry, a bridge is sometimes used instead of a single tooth implant. However, there are two disadvantages to this practice. A bridge does nothing to stop the ongoing bone loss that occurs once a tooth has been lost.
Secondly, placing anchors on adjacent teeth can damage them to a certain extent. At the Medical Center Dental Group in Houston, Texas, we recommend a single dental implant as the better of the two options, provided it is affordable for the patient, and provided there is sufficient bone mass for implantation to take root.
The actual implantation is a two phase process. The first phase involves surgically placing the titanium cylinder in the jawbone. The dentist will anesthetize the area first, normally with oral or intravenous sedation. The dentist then makes an incision in the gums and screws the single tooth implant root securely into the bone. The gums are then stitched over the implant. Sometimes, a temporary cap called an abutment is placed over the titanium root to protect it while the jawbone grows around it.
Depending on the condition of the bone, it may take several weeks to several months for the single tooth implant to be accepted by the jaw. During this healing time, the dentist will have the patient follow some very specific instructions to ensure that all goes well during the interim between appointments.
When the healing process is complete, the second phase of implantation occurs. The patient returns to the dental office, where impressions are taken of surrounding teeth. A porcelain crown is then custom-made to look identical to the one that was lost, and it is placed over the titanium root to complete the tooth replacement.
Cosmetic Dentistry is a specialized field that requires extensive knowledge and experience to be done correctly. The Medical Center Dental Group in Houston, Texas brings all of that and more to the direct benefit of each and every patient we treat. Although we are located in the world famous Houston Medical Center at Scurlock Towers, we routinely see dental patients who travel from Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Beaumont and Midland Texas to see Dr Dale Brant, Dr. Charles Campbell or Dr. Elizabeth O’Sullivan-Winslow for their cosmetic denistry services.
For any other questions related to cosmetic dentistry, you can Contact Us at 713.795.5905, visit our Dental Blog or Ask the Dentist. Seek professional care on a regular basis as well. Some things, such as teeth cleaning and a full oral examination, can only be done in a dental office.
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