Dental Implants - Cosmetic Dentistry, Restorative
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Locate a Dental Implant Specialist in Your City
What
Are Dental Implants
Dental implants are permanent tooth
replacements. They hold a crown, bridge or denture just
like roots hold natural teeth in place. Many dentists
consider implants to be one of the greatest advancements
in dentistry since they truly are "the next best thing
to your natural teeth." Unlike a traditional plate or
bridge, dental implants are actually anchored to your
jaw. After integration with the jawbone, the crown,
bridge or denture is then attached to the implants.
This provides much greater stability for more effective
eating, speaking and smiling!
People of all ages are discovering how
they can improve their lives with dental implants. No
more messy, ineffective adhesives for denture wearers.
With dental implants, denture wearers report eating
foods that they have not had in years! Say goodbye to
slipping partials and uncomfortable dentures. Implants
allow for a secure solid fit of the more comfortable
palate less denture.
Implants can even help a patient missing
just one tooth. In the past, the two adjacent healthy
teeth had to be ground down and "sacrificed" to build
a three-unit bridge to replace the single missing tooth.
Today, a single implant can often be placed in between
the teeth and a crown can be fabricated without affecting
the healthy teeth.
So if you are a candidate for dental
implants, don't put off getting a complete professional
evaluation any longer. Not everyone is a viable candidate
for dental implants. A comprehensive evaluation with
your general dentist and your implant surgeon will allow
you to understand all of your treatment options and
choose a dental solution for improving your life.
The Advantages of
Dental Implants
Better Dentures: if you wear conventional
dentures, you know how limiting they can be. Slipping,
avoiding all but the easiest foods to eat and messy
adhesives. Implants can solve all these problems for
denture wearers. In fact, most enthusiastic implant
patients are people who had conventional dentures for
many years prior to their implants.
Stable Bridges: historically, one of
the biggest challenges to general dentists was when
a patient lost their back two or three teeth on one
side. Without a back tooth to attach a bridge to, dentists
were forced to design partial dentures or "removable
flippers" for patients to use. These functioned more
for cosmetic purposes than for anything else. Dental
implants can provide solid anchors for a bridge of any
size.
Healthy Teeth: dental implants often
allow dentists to provide single crowns where a three-unit
bridge would have been the only option in the past.
To make the three-unit bridge, the two healthy teeth
are ground down to make abutments for attaching the
bridge. With an implant, a crown is placed on top of
the implant's post and the two healthy teeth remain
untouched.
Best Candidates for
Dental Implants
No one can tell you to get dental implants.
The best a qualified surgeon can tell you is whether
you are a viable candidate for implants (defined as
someone with a great likelihood of treatment success).
So assuming you are diagnosed as a viable candidate,
how do you decide whether to get dental implants? You'll
eventually have to make the decision based on what your
heart and head say, but some of these items may help
you decide:
Costs?
Can you afford the portion that insurance
is not going to pay? Will your oral surgeon and restorative
dentists work with you to design a payment plan that
fits in your budget? Dental implants are an investment
in the quality of your life, but they are an investment
nonetheless.
Benefits:
For someone who misses eating their
favorite foods, dental implants can pay for themselves
on the first bite of a thick porterhouse steak. For
a professional speaker, implants can give them back
the ability to speak with clarity and confidence. For
anyone who suffers from ill-fitting dentures or bridges,
implants can enhance their quality of their life.
Length of time
Implants may not be the best solution
for someone who is planning on a temporary dental solution
for just a few years. The longer you plan to live and
enjoy your dental implants, the better of an investment
they can be.
Missing just 1 tooth?
If you are missing just one tooth and
your dentist has recommended a three-unit bridge, but
not a single implant and crown solution, then it is
likely your dentist is unfamiliar with the procedure.
Talk to your dentist about the solution. Talk to another
dentist for a second opinion. This is a decision that
you need to live with for the rest of your life, it's
worth getting a 2nd or even 3rd opinion until you feel
you can make the best decision for yourself.
Current conventional
denture wearer?
The longer you have worn dentures, the
more excited you will be about getting implant-based
dentures. No bad-tasting adhesives and no slipping.
More comfortable palate less designs are available.
You owe it to yourself to see what dental implants can
do for you.
The Cost of Dental
Implants and Choosing the Best Implant Specialist
The costs associated with dental implants
can only be estimated once you have gone through a complete
evaluation. Dental Implant costs start at $800 for a
single tooth and go as high as $40,000 or more for a
complete dental makeover. Financing is available through www.cosmeticsurgeryfinancing.com.
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