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Using dental implants to replace missing teeth: the advantages
Dental implants are an increasingly popular method of replacing missing teeth. At Imperial Dental Care in Harrow, dental implants can be used to replace one, some, or all of your natural teeth, no matter why you lost them.
If there’s one thing all dentists agree on, it’s that missing teeth should always be replaced. Not to do so risks the health of your remaining teeth – which are instantly forced to do more work, and which often become crooked, twisted, and hard to clean properly as they shift into any gaps. When several or all of your teeth are missing, your diet will be severely restricted, which can have serious consequences for your overall health and wellbeing. Speech is likely to be affected, too, whilst the effect on your confidence can be devastating.
The traditional methods of replacing teeth are dental bridges and standard dentures. Whilst the modern versions of both are highly realistic in terms of both appearance and function, they do not give the long-term security of dental implants.
A standard bridge relies on your other teeth for support. That means two things: first, those teeth need to be strong, healthy, and free from large fillings; and secondly, healthy tooth structure often has to be lost to accommodate your bridge.
Dentures may be full or partial, depending on how many teeth they replace. A standard full denture replaces the crowns of your missing teeth, but because nothing replace the roots the denture is likely to become loose as the jaw bone begins to shrink.
When your dentures fit poorly you may find it impacts negatively on:
- Diet
- Speech
- Body image
- Confidence
Your gums may also be sore from where your denture rubs them.
Dental implants address all of these problems. Artificial tooth roots made out of titanium, dental implants are placed directly in your jaw in a small operation at our Harrow clinic.
Once in position, implants mesh with the bone, preventing it from shrinking and supporting either a denture, a bridge, or a crown. This means that you will enjoy all the function of natural teeth once more.