When you have lost a tooth, or even if you have lost all of them, you need a prosthetic to ensure your ability to eat your favorite foods and smile with confidence. We can help with dental implants, using advanced technology to plan and guide the placement of new teeth. In today’s blog, your Brooklyn, NY, periodontist and implant expert talk about implant dentistry.
The Causes and Risks of Tooth Loss
What causes teeth to become lost? We could lose our natural teeth due to issues like injury or sports accidents, untreated cavities, and advanced dental infections. The most common cause is periodontal disease. The advanced stage, known as periodontitis, can destroy the tissues connecting your teeth and gums to cause tooth loss. In addition to dental implant placement, our team is also experienced and skilled in periodontics, so we can manage your periodontal disease to stop tooth loss or ensure your new dental implants can truly last for years to come.
There are a number of risks associated with missing teeth. For example, you could have trouble eating a variety of foods and suffer from limited nutritional intake. Missing teeth could also impact how you speak and make you feel embarrassed in social situations, which harms your quality of life. Tooth loss also upsets your bite balance so the risk of misalignment, TMJ disorder, and bruxism (teeth grinding) are much higher. But did you know this can also alter your facial structure? The body stops the flow of calcium and phosphorus to the jaw around missing roots. Without these, the jaw breaks down, which causes additional missing teeth and an older appearance too! But we can help with tooth replacement.
Planning the Placement Process
To begin, we will take detailed digital images of your smile, including digital x-rays and CT scanning technology, so we can obtain clear and high-definition images of your entire mile. This can help us assess the strength of your jawbone, so we know if you need treatments like grafting or sinus lifts before we place your new teeth. We also use the images to choose the best angles, positions, and depths to insert your new dental implants.
Dental Implants
The implant portion is made from titanium, so the post itself is biocompatible and bonds with the jawbone, which means when we insert this into your jaw, the body accepts it as a natural root. The flow of key nutrients will resume, to keep your jawbone and facial structure intact, so you preserve your youthful facial features. They can also last for decades to come, possibly a lifetime, so you have replacements that look and function like natural teeth. With an individual option, we will insert the post and then attach an abutment to it that extends above the gum line. We then connect a custom crown to offer a lifelike appearance and a durable chewing surface.
Same-Day Implant Dentures
If you have severe tooth loss, we could offer dentures supported with dental implants. Instead of a process that requires a wait for healing in between the implant placement and the attachment of a denture, our team will start the last few teeth, insert the post, and attach a custom denture in one visit. We can offer same-day tooth replacement so you leave with a full smile. These dentures will be fixed in place, no need to remove them for soaking or cleaning, and they can last decades instead of just five years.
Grafting and Sinus Lifts
We mentioned grafting and sinus lift procedures above. When you have a jawbone too weak to support dental implants, we can strengthen it to make tooth replacement possible. For the lower jaw, we will conduct a grafting to add new structures to the jaw. These could be from other parts of your body or from synthetic sources. For the upper jaw, we will raise the sinus floor to uncover new tissues that can support one or more dental implants. These procedures make it possible to receive new teeth even if years have elapsed since you lost your teeth.
If you have any questions about how we handle tooth replacement, or if you would like to start the dental implant placement process, then contact our team right away. You deserve a full smile, and we can help make it a possibility.
Replace Missing Teeth with Your Brooklyn, NY, Periodontist
We would like to help you smile with confidence and enjoy a complete smile again. To schedule an appointment and enjoy a full smile again, contact your Brooklyn, NY, periodontist by calling (718) 444-3800.
