Proper dental hygiene habits usually keep your smile radiant and your confidence level up, but certain health conditions and unexpected events can cause you to lose a tooth, creating a gap in your pearly whites that might affect your self-esteem. A single dental implant can replace the missing tooth and help you regain reassurance in your smile.
Dr. Denes and team at Fresno Dental Studio will gladly answer any questions you might have about replacing a missing tooth with a dental implant; call (559) 297-1294 to schedule an appointment today.
Replacing a Missing Tooth with a Dental Implant
Problems associated with missing a tooth include self-image issues, inability to chew properly, jawbone deterioration, and an overall decrease in the function and efficiency of the mouth. To correct or prevent these problems from developing, replace the missing tooth with a single dental implant.
A single dental implant replaces the tooth and its root, mimicking its function and appearance and helping to maintain the integrity of the jawbone. Embedded into the jawbone and in the gum tissue, the titanium implant fuses with the jawbone during a process called osseointegration. Dental implants can last for decades and offer people a permanent tooth replacement option.
Dental Implant Procedure
After an initial consultation discussing your situation, Dr. Denes will take detailed scans of your mouth to determine the ideal placement of your implant. These scans show a 3D image of the gums, teeth, and jawbone that also help assess the overall health of your mouth to determine candidacy and understand how your jawbone will heal after the implant surgery.
The day of the first procedure, Dr. Denes will surgically place the titanium implant into the jawbone using the surgical guide created from 3D imaging. The jawbone and gums heal for a period of a few months before the healing cap is placed during the second procedure.
At the second appointment, Dr. Denes will check to make sure that the implant has healed properly and exposes the top of the implant through the gums to place a healing cap, which will eventually be replaced by an abutment. The healing cap helps prepare the gums for abutment placement.
After a shorter period of healing, usually a couple of weeks, Dr. Denes will place an abutment where the healing cap was placed during the second procedure. Attached to the abutment, a crown that resembles your teeth color and shape will fill the space left by the missing tooth.
It should be noted that in some cases, the healing cap can be added during the same visit as the implant placement. This will depend on the specific case of each patient.
Causes of Tooth Loss
Periodontal Disease
Gum disease most frequently causes tooth loss. The early stage of gum disease, typically called gingivitis, manifests through gum inflammation, darkening in color, tenderness, and sometimes bleeding when brushing teeth. People who have health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and rheumatoid arthritis have inflammation issues that may cause gum disease.
Severe Cavities
If a cavity goes untreated, it might reach the pulp chamber (innermost part of the tooth), resulting in an abscess and an increased risk for infection at the tooth root. Root canal therapy can sometimes treat a tooth abscess, but in some cases, the tooth will require removal.
Trauma
An accident or injury to the jawbone or mouth can also result in a missing tooth. Blunt force to the jaw during sports or from a fall can knock out a tooth. Although a tooth might not fall out immediately following such an accident, eventually it might fall out or be damaged so much that a dentist should extract it.
Bruxism or Tooth Grinding
Tooth grinding at night can damage a tooth and its root beyond restoration, causing the root to resorb or dissolve, affecting the density of the jawbone. Pressure from teeth grinding can lead to fractured teeth and an injured jawbone.
Diet and General Health
Consuming sugary or acidic foods increases a person’s risk for gum disease and tooth loss. Mineral density of one’s teeth also depends on calcium intake in one’s diet.
For people who avoid the dentist or didn’t visit the dentist regularly growing up, they may not realize the benefits of preventive care for their teeth. Dental anxiety and financial costs can also keep people from visiting the dentist, but these avoidances sometimes end up in tooth loss.
No matter what has caused your tooth loss, preserve the health of your jawbone with a single dental implant; call our Fresno, CA dental practice at (559) 297-1294 to schedule a consultation today.