Missing teeth can affect how we feel about our smile, making us feel self-conscious and affecting our self-esteem. Yet, missing teeth have other, more profound side effects that compromise oral health. To maintain dental integrity, it’s crucial to fill the empty space with a tooth replacement such as dental implants.
Dental implants offer a long-term, effective solution for missing teeth. If you’re in the process of deciding if this procedure is right for you, you may have many questions, including how long do teeth implants last? Finding an expert dentist that offers consultation will ease your concerns.
Replacing Missing Teeth
When you lose a tooth, you may be concerned about how it will affect the look of your smile, but, if left untreated, a missing tooth will impact much more than just your smile.
Teeth serve many purposes and are crucial to overall oral health and functioning. Even losing a single tooth can have detrimental long-term side-effects if the space isn’t filled. Some of the potential side-effects of tooth loss are:
- Changes in bite
- Speech issues
- Misalignment
- Bone loss
- Altering facial aesthetics
The very act of chewing helps keep the entire dental arch structurally healthy. Teeth provide the consistent pressure and stimulation that the jaw bone requires for optimal bone density; without this stimulation, there is an ongoing bone density loss that can alter your facial profile and appearance.
Chewing doesn’t only happen on the tooth’s surface. It influences the entire tooth structure, including the root which is embedded in the jaw. When you chew, you engage many different oral components, and this engagement keeps them healthy.
Bone is living, cellular tissue, and like any other cell, has a continually renewing life cycle. Providing stimulation by using the area helps keep this cycle operating at an optimal pace. Everything changes when there is no tooth since this also removes the stimulation, which encourages a healthy cellular turnover. Over time, cellular regeneration rapidly declines, even by as much as 25% in the first year.
The Options
Once you understand the role teeth play in maintaining the oral structure’s integrity and preventing various issues from developing, it’s easy to understand why replacing missing teeth is imperative for long-term health.
There are different ways to address missing teeth: bridges, dentures, and dental implants. Each option comes with benefits and disadvantages. Visiting a dentist that offers consultation will allow you to decide which is the right solution for your situation, taking into account your entire dental profile.
What Are Dental Implants?
There are three parts to all dental implants: the implant rod, the abutment, and the crown. Together, these components function as the natural tooth.
The implant is inserted directly into the jawbone, acting as a tooth root. A connecting piece, called an abutment, will then be screwed into the implant body to connect the crown.
Why Are Dental Implants Used?
Dental implants are a highly effective way to mimic the natural tooth and address most issues that stem from tooth loss. This makes them an excellent choice for the majority of people.
Because dental implants feel, act, and look like a natural tooth, they have more psychological and physiological benefits for the patient than other tooth replacement options. They’re also comfortable and convenient. Once a dental implant is inserted, it will function just like your other teeth.
How Long Do Dental Implants Last?
One of the benefits of dental implants is their durability. With good oral hygiene practices, you can expect the implant to last a lifetime. The biocompatible titanium composition is responsible for this longevity and is safe, effective, and long-lasting.
The crown also has longevity, lasting around 10-15 years or more before it needs a replacement. At Lyndarum Family Dentist, we make our dental crowns from durable porcelain. Porcelain recreates a natural look, resembling the colour and lustre of natural tooth enamel, resulting in a natural-looking implant.
So, how long do dental implants last? Thankfully, they last a very long time. Although the crown material can influence overall longevity, the implant itself is designed to last a lifetime.
Undergoing Dental Implant Surgery
Dental implant surgery can vary from patient to patient depending on certain factors, such as the patient’s health, the jawbone and gums’ condition, and the type of implant used.
Depending on your oral health, other procedures may need to be performed first to ready your mouth for the implant. If you lack sufficient jawbone density to support the dental implant, you’ll need an additional procedure to build up the jawbone because of deterioration. Or, you may need a tooth removed to make space for the implant.
Each procedure lengthens the overall duration since you need sufficient time to heal. This is especially true for dental bone grafts which may require several months of recovery time. After the first dental implant surgery where the dentist fits the implant screw, you may need to wait three to six months until the next step to allow the implant to fuse with your jaw and form a solid, sturdy base for the crown.
At Lyndarum Family Dentist, we apply utmost precision and care to your dental implant surgery, to ensure placing your dental implant precisely and safely. We also offer dental sedation to ensure you’re as comfortable as possible.
Contact Us to Arrange a Consultation
If you’ve lost a tooth and are considering dental implants, schedule a consultation at your local dental clinic. Here at Lyndarum Family Dentist, our team of highly experienced dental professionals are committed to helping you make the best decision for your smile. We use the latest in advanced technology to ensure a successful implant procedure.
Call (03) 9626 9581 to book an appointment.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
