Missing teeth do much more than just leave you with a gap in your smile. They can also lead to a assortment of oral health problems. Remaining teeth will shift to fill in the space, causing alignment issues with your bite. Missing teeth also lead to jawbone bone loss. This can result in the loss of additional teeth. Thus, it is very important that you replace a missing tooth as soon as possible.
Dental implants are the most effective answer to replace missing teeth.
The best way to find out if dental implants are the right option for you is to speak with Dr. Michael Nugent in person. Please call 832-487-0648 today to schedule an appointment. Dr. Nugent provides excellence dental services to those who live in Deer Park and Pasadena, Texas.
Dr. Nugent recommends dental implants for all patients that are missing teeth and who are suitable candidates for the procedure. Dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that replaces both your missing tooth and the root. By replacing the entire tooth, dental implants eliminate many of the aggravations associated with dentures and bridges. It allows patients to have a replacement that functions just like your natural teeth. Plus, dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that stimulates and preserves jaw bone. Implants are the only option that performs this important function. This prevents additional bone and tooth loss while preserving the shape of your face.
Dental implants offer a diversity of benefits compared with alternatives such as dentures or dental bridges, including:
- Improved aesthetics: Dental implants look and feel just like your natural teeth.
- Improved eating ability: Because dentures have a tendency to slide in your mouth, They can make chewing and eating more difficult. Dental implants function just like your natural teeth and can withstand the heavy forces exerted while chewing, enabling you to eat all of your favorite foods without concern.
- Permanent: The dental implant fuses with your jawbone, allowing it to function just like your natural tooth root. As a result, it is the only permanent solution to replace your missing teeth. Dentures must be taking out at night.
- Do no damage: Dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that does not further damage your oral health. Bridges require the irreversible grinding down of natural teeth to hold the bridge. Dentures accelerate jaw bone loss.
- Improved oral health: Adjacent teeth do not need to be altered to support a dental implant the way they do with a dental bridge. This preserves the long-term health of your remaining teeth. Dental implants also eliminate the bone loss associated with alternative replacement options, reducing your risk of additional tooth loss in the future.
- Convenience: Dental implants eliminate the hassles associated with removing your dentures every night, and you will never have to deal with the messy adhesives necessary to keep dentures in place.
- Improved speech: Poorly fitting old-fashioned dentures have a tendency to slip, causing you to mumble or slur your words when you speak. Since dental implants are permanently fused with your jaw, they eliminate speech issues associated with dentures.
- Durability: When properly cared for, your dental implants can last a lifetime.
Oral Health Risks and Missing Teeth: Failure to replace missing teeth can result in one or more of the following serious oral health conditions:
- Tooth shifting: Your neighboring teeth may shift to fill the space left by your missing tooth. Over time, this can lead to crooked teeth and bite alignment issues.
- Bone deterioration: Your tooth’s root performs many important functions, including stimulating the jawbone. When you are missing your tooth (and consequently the root as well), this lack of stimulation leads to jawbone deterioration. Ultimately, this can result in additional tooth loss.
- Sunken facial appearance: Jawbone deterioration can also result in alterations to the shape of your face. It is common to develop a sunken facial appearance which makes you look older than you are.
- Gum disease: It is common for missing teeth to increase your risk of gum disease, a condition that often leads to additional tooth loss as well as other serious systemic health issues.
- TMJ: The bite alignment issues associated with failing to replace your missing teeth can prevent your upper and lower jaw from meeting properly. This can damage your jaw joint, leading to temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), a painful and debilitating condition that can impact your daily life.
Get the best for you and your family. See why our dental office takes care of so many patients from Pasadena and Deer Park Texas.