Tooth Extraction: Is a Dental Implant in My Future?

If you need to have a tooth extracted, you might already be thinking about how to replace it, or whether you want to. There are many good reasons why you should replace a missing tooth, and there are equally compelling reasons to choose dental implants as your replacement option.

Replacing Missing Teeth—Why Bother?

It might seem unnecessary to replace missing teeth with dental implants, especially if only one tooth is to be extracted. However, the long-term results of having a gap in your smile can be uncomfortable at best and damaging at worst. In the long term, a missing tooth can lead to:

•    Abnormal wear on your remaining teeth
•    Misalignment
•    Jawbone atrophy
•    Other teeth moving out of position
•    Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD)

These problems can cause a variety of symptoms, including headaches, earaches, and even an increased chance that you will lose additional teeth. Having your missing teeth replaced as soon as possible after extraction will help prevent these problems from arising.

How Dental Implants Can Help

There are several options to replace missing teeth, but looking and the most like your original teeth. Implants provide a new tooth root as well as a new tooth to bite and chew with. They do not replace the teeth with an appliance that sits on the gums and palate, but with an embedded root and a securely attached prosthetic tooth.

Implants look, feel, and function just like natural teeth. The root, which is made of titanium, bonds to the jawbone so that it helps stimulate bone growth, preventing eventual jawbone atrophy. The visible teeth are carefully made to look like your natural teeth, and are held stationary in the mouth so they cannot move, shift, or fall out as dentures occasionally do. You will be able to talk, eat, and smile with complete confidence.

If you have missing teeth, or need a tooth extracted, contact the doctor Family Dentistry, serving Centennial and surrounding areas, at 303 -730-1222 to get more information on how we can help you regain your natural smile with implants.