Your natural adult teeth are meant to be permanent. Despite the fact that the older you are, the more likely you are to lose teeth, your natural teeth may actually last you a lifetime with the right care. But as we get older, our ability to care for our smiles may decline, and our enamel will weaken over time. With vulnerable oral health, it’s no wonder that our permanent teeth don’t always stay permanent as we age. But after tooth loss, there is another solution that’s made to last a lifetime. With dental implants, we can provide permanent teeth replacements to restore your smile! These titanium screws embed in your jawbone, secure artificial tooth restorations, and stay secure forever… or as long as you take good care of them.
Why Do We Lose Teeth?
If your adult teeth are supposed to last you a lifetime, why are about 120 million Americans missing at least one tooth?
The truth is, natural teeth need rigorous care and attention to stay healthy. Without brushing your teeth daily, flossing regularly, and attending routine dental visits, it’s not uncommon to experience oral health issues. Some oral health problems that may result in tooth loss include:
- Dental trauma: After knocking a tooth out, there is a way to reattach it. However, you need to act quickly and schedule an emergency appointment as soon as possible. Without prompt treatment, you’ll need to replace your missing tooth with a permanent solution.
Severe decay: Without good oral hygiene, bacteria may gather on your enamel and deteriorate your teeth. This problem is how patients develop cavities. But without fillings or crowns to stop the decay, it will spread, potentially damaging your teeth to the point of needing an extraction.- Gum disease: Periodontitis is an inflammatory infection that starts out small but will grow in severity. Severe gum disease will deteriorate your gum and bone tissue, eventually causing the structures that support your teeth to erode away. Without stopping the infection, you will lose your teeth.
- Genetic factors: Some patients, even with excellent oral hygiene, may experience tooth loss due to certain genetic factors. With a predisposition to gum disease or naturally weak enamel, patients are at a natural disadvantage for infection and potentially, tooth loss.
After losing teeth, it’s important to replace them as soon as possible. The longer you go without teeth, the more likely you’ll experience jawbone loss, misalignments, and difficulties chewing or speaking clearly.
Your Permanent Teeth Replacement: Dental Implants
At Sonora Dentist, we offer a variety of tooth replacement options. While dental bridges and traditional dentures can replace missing teeth, they’re typically less permanent than dental implant solutions.
Without replacing the roots of your teeth, which embed in your jawbone, your bone will continue to shrink. Traditional dentures and bridges don’t replace tooth roots and instead rely on your jaw and other natural teeth to stay secure. But as time goes on, you’ll find that your smile and jaw have shifted, leaving your restorations loose or dysfunctional.
But dental implants replace your teeth at the root, embedding in your jaw to keep your bone healthy and your smile secure.
Dr. Berger at Sonora Dentist uses mini dental implants to replace missing teeth. These small titanium posts require a minimally invasive procedure that preserves a lot of your natural bone structure. By doing so, they heal faster than traditional implants!
Additionally, mini implants are only one piece, requiring fewer placement appointments. Unlike traditional implants, which need multiple appointments over several months, mini implants require only one placement appointment. Then, once inside your jaw, these implants begin permanently embedding in your jaw to create a strong foundation for an artificial crown, bridge, or denture.
The Mini Dental Implant Process
Dr. Berger begins your permanent teeth replacement with a free implant consultation.
There, he will assess your jawbone to make sure that you have enough bone to support a mini implant. Fortunately, most patients do, as they require much less bone than traditional implants.
Then, he will craft a custom treatment plan to restore your smile. This involves planning implant placement in the ideal position and creating a treatment timeline.
At your placement appointment, he will use a local anesthetic to numb your smile. Once you’re comfortable, he will create a small pilot hole through your gums and into your jawbone. After carefully screwing the mini implant in place, it immediately starts to secure in your bone. Before you leave your appointment, he will provide you with a temporary restoration or healing cap that you wear for the next few weeks as your jawbone heals.
When your implants are secure enough, he will remove the temporary crown, bridge, or denture and replace it with a final, custom-fit restoration to permanently replace your missing teeth!
However, be sure to care for these permanent teeth replacements, as they require a good oral hygiene routine to stay healthy.
Enjoy Permanent Teeth With Implant Treatment in Sonora, CA
Your natural adult teeth should last you a lifetime, but when they don’t, Dr. Berger has a solution. Using mini dental implants, he can replace your missing teeth with a permanent implant solution. With these small titanium posts, you can enjoy a minimally invasive procedure and a smile that lasts as long as you take care of it.
Book a free mini implant consultation today with Dr. Berger to learn if you’re eligible for treatment.
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