There are many ways to deal with missing teeth. You can ignore them, replace them with bridgework or dentures, or go for the “Cadillac” option: Dental Implants.
Implants offer all of the benefits of real teeth with hardly any of the drawbacks. In fact, the only functional drawback is that you still have to brush them! Other than that, the price is the only thing that could be considered a drawback. Even then, once you experience the superiority of one of these strong, decay-proof wonders you’ll know that they’re well worth the money.
When you get a dental implant, your Dentist Oklahoma City will drill into your jawbone to insert a hypoallergenic metal post. This post will serve as the root of the new tooth. The benefit of having a metal stick for the tooth root is twofold: It has no pain cells and it can’t rot. Since it’s about the length of a natural root, it’ll also provide as much strength as the healthy natural version.
After a few weeks, your jawbone will have healed around the metal post. This will give it and your jaw the necessary strength to withstand the pressures of chewing in that spot. That’s when the Dentist Oklahoma City will attach the crown. Just like with regular dental crowns, this one will provide a chewing surface that looks exactly like a natural tooth. No one will be able to tell that it’s not your original equipment just by looking at it. Only an x-ray will reveal the fact that it and its root are replacements.
Why Do You Have to Brush and Floss an Implant?
The reason is that doing so will keep the gum and jaw around the new tooth healthy. Periodontal disease results when teeth aren’t regularly brushed, and this disease will eventually cause the jaw to lose its bone mass. Since the bone is what is holding the implant in place, you need to keep it healthy or else the new tooth will fall out. If it falls out, that doesn’t just mean that you have a gap in your mouth again. It’d mean about $5,000-$8,000 down the sink. So you’ll definitely want to keep using that toothbrush!
