How Dental Implants Can Bring Your Smile Confidence Back

If you have lost one or more teeth, you’re not alone. The American College of Prosthodontics says that about 120 million people in the U.S. are missing at least one tooth and that 36 million people have no teeth. 

Missing teeth is more than just a cosmetic challenge; teeth gone AWOL can increase gum infection, encourage remaining teeth to shift or loosen, and change the shape of your face.

Drs. Brian and Tanner Goodman at the Goodman Dental Center are skilled at installing dental implants, the closest thing we have now to natural teeth. Here’s how dental implants can restore your mouth and your self-confidence.

What is a dental implant?

A dental implant looks and functions like a real tooth. It is made up of a crown, the part above the gumline you see, and a root, which extends through your gum into your jaw bone.

An implant’s titanium root looks like a screw. It’s strong, non-corrosive, and biocompatible. Your dentist will insert the root into space where your tooth once sat. Over a few months, your gum and bone grow over the root, which holds it in place. An abutment cap covers the part of the implant that extends through your gum. Ultimately, a porcelain or composite crown will cap the abutment. Voila! You’ve got a new, real-looking tooth.

Here’s how a dental implant behaves like a real tooth

Your mouth and teeth are a finely tuned system for eating, drinking, and talking. When you eat, pressure from chewing travels throughout your mouth and teeth, and down to your root and jaw. This pressure stimulates your jaw bone to create new bone cells, which keep your jaw bone strong and healthy.

When teeth are missing, chewing is diminished, and your jaw bone begins to atrophy, changing the shape of your face.

Dental implants are a cosmetic and oral health boon because they function like your natural teeth. The implant’s crown and root transmit chewing pressure so your jaw bone continues to produce new cells and renew itself. Implants are the only type of tooth replacement that protect your jaw bone health and the youthful shape of your face.

Is it real or an implant?

It’s almost impossible to detect dental implants because they are crafted and customized to match your other teeth. Since they’re permanent, you’ll never have to suffer the embarrassment of putting your replacement teeth into a glass overnight. And unlike dentures, which are commonly attached to your mouth with adhesive, dental implants will never shift or slip when you eat an apple or ear of corn.

You maintain implants the same way you maintain your natural teeth. Brush with your regular toothpaste and floss at least once a day, and see one of the Drs. Goodman twice a year for a checkup and professional cleaning.

If you want to restore your beautiful smile with dental implants, contact Goodman Dental Center by calling 480-485-7073.