What To Expect When Getting A Dental Implant?

When you lose one or more teeth, replacing them with dental implants is recommended by most dentists. Dental implants appear, feel, and function like natural teeth and provide various other benefits. However, getting dental implants requires surgery, and the term can scare you to no end.

Trying to live without your natural teeth not only affects your facial appearance but also impacts your overall health. You become susceptible to various problems that bring upon you the consequences of tooth loss. Instead of inviting additional issues, wouldn’t you think undergoing surgery to get dental implants placed in your mouth is a convenient alternative?

This post provides information on what to expect when getting a dental implant. Kindly continue reading to realize the surgical procedure for getting dental implants in Columbia, MO, is not challenging but gives you natural-looking artificial teeth in a process you will think is fantastic.

What Are the Benefits of Dental Implants?

Whether you lose one or several teeth, your remaining teeth begin shifting towards the edentulous gap created by the missing tooth. The movement creates misalignments in your mouth to requires orthodontic treatments. However, when you have dental implants to replace the missing tooth, they prevent your teeth from shifting because they function as your artificial tooth roots.

Tooth loss also affects your overall health because it prevents you from eating the foods you love or compels you to swallow large chunks to become prone to indigestion. The issue eventually leads to nutritional deficiencies because you avoid having healthy foods concentrating instead on soft or processed foods. Dental implants with artificial teeth allow you to have the foods you love without cutting back on nutritious foods.

Jawbone deterioration is another problem associated with tooth loss. When you don’t have teeth in the mouth, your jawbone doesn’t receive the stimulation it needs to maintain itself. As a result, you lose your jawbone and eventually have a sagging appearance. Dental implants can prevent jawbone deterioration, helping you keep your appearance without looking older.

Will I Be a Candidate for Dental Implants?

If you miss one or more teeth, you might be suitable for dental implants. Unfortunately, if you have lost all your teeth and need full dental implants, you might require bone grafting before getting dental implants. Therefore depending on how long your teeth are missing, you may not have sufficient bone remaining in your mouth.

When you consider getting dental implants must be in good oral, physical, and overall health. In addition, you must commit to the procedure and refrain from habits like smoking which causes implant failure. Finally, you must also not have any underlying health issues that might impact your recovery. So long as you conform to the above, you can consider yourself a candidate for dental implants.

What to Expect During Your Dental Implant Surgery?

The specialists in Columbia might surprise you with the ease of placing dental implants in your jawbone and allowing you to return home shortly after the procedure. Even more surprising might be the comfort at which you have the dental implants placed.

Before starting dental implant surgery, you receive anesthesia in your mouth to numb the surgical site. The specialists will not proceed with the surgery until the edentulous gap is entirely numb.

The specialists make incisions in your gums and drill holes in your jawbone to embed the titanium post deep into it. The implant placement is precise because the specialists use 3D computerized planning to deliver predictable and long-term results. After inserting and securing the post, the specialists place a cap over the implant to keep it safe while it heals over the next few months. If required, they also place sutures to help your gums heal.

After getting dental implants placed, you must wait for the post to integrate with your body in osseointegration. You must exercise patience because osseointegration requires three to six months before getting your artificial tooth over the implant. However, for aesthetic purposes, Columbia specialists provide a temporary replacement to close the gap in your smile during your recovery.

However, you must remember replacements are needed for the temporary tooth at the end of osseointegration when you must revisit the specialist to have your artificial tooth custom created from porcelain. Getting the artificial tooth signals the end of your dental implant procedure and the start of a new journey when you begin caring for your dental implants.

If you maintain excellent dental hygiene practices, you shouldn’t encounter any challenges maintaining the implants appropriately. However, you must ensure you get six-monthly dental exams and cleanings to prevent plaque buildup from accumulating around your natural and implanted teeth. Plaque buildup leads to gum disease, which results in implant failure. Therefore so long as you maintain your implants appropriately, you can expect them to remain with you for life.

All American Dental in Columbia provides dental implants to replace single or multiple teeth. Therefore, if you confront problems with tooth loss, kindly contact this practice for replacements as soon as possible.