Implant Restorative Dentistry

What You Need To Know About NOT Replacing Your Missing Teeth With Dental Implant Therapy

The Possible Consequences Of Not Replacing Your Missing Teeth:

Loss of natural facial contours
Increased facial wrinkles
Loss of youthful appearance
Loss of lip support
Nose and chin are close together
Difficulty chewing
Digestive problems due to the inability to chew food properly
Wearing dentures alone may accelerate bone loss

The Possible Advantages of Replacing Your Missing Teeth With Dental Implants

Therapy that mimics nature
Helps to preserve natural facial contours and aesthetics
May minimize or reduce bone loss in area where implants have been placed
Facilities proper eating and chewing
Replacement teeth will not move as do non-implant supported partials and dentures
Enhances quality of life

If you are missing teeth, you are at an increased risk for oral bone loss
Oral bone loss may lead to premature loss of healthy teeth
Oral bone loss may cause a loss of facial contours
Loss of facial contours may affect your natural facial appearance
There are treatments available that may slow or even repair your oral bone loss

What You Need To Know About Oral Bone Loss

A missing tooth creates a bony defect in the jaw.

If left untreated, additional bone loss may lead to additional tooth loss

Through time, untreated bone loss may create a significantly changed facial appearance and loss of normal function.

Healthy lower jawbone with no missing teeth

If left untreated, a lower jaw with no teeth may lose bone width, height and density, which may result in desirable facial changes.

Significant bone loss may increase the chance of broken jaw.

What Is Dental Implant Therapy?

Tooth Replacement Therapy That Mimics Nature

An advanced therapy available to replace missing teeth.
Dental implants are not replacements for missing teeth.
Replacement teeth are created by your dentist and placed on the foundation provided by dental implants.
These allow you to have the look, feel and function most like natural teeth.
These offer several important advantages for replacing missing teeth.

The Possible Advantages Of Dental Implant Therapy:

MINIMIZES oral bone loss
REDUCES compromise to adjacent healthy teeth
PRESERVES natural facial contours and appearance
RESTORES oral function in a manner that most closely resembles natural teeth

How Dental Implants Work:

Dental Implants are made with materials well accepted by the body
Bone forms a natural mechanical bond with the dental implants
Dental implants provide a base for your dentist to build your replacement tooth or teeth

A dental implant and implant crown are designed to mimic the look, feel and function of a natural tooth.

Replacing Your Single Missing Tooth

The Removable Partial Dentures Treatment Option

May move during speech or eating

May be physically and psychologically uncomfortable

Visible metal hooks wrap around surrounding teeth to stabilize the partial

Partials may look like "false teeth"
These hooks may cause additional tooth loss due to mechanical forces on remaining teeth.

May accelerate bone loss

This may negatively affect the width, height and density of oral bone (creating bony defects)

May be difficult to chew or eat properly
May require multiple ongoing dentist visits for adjustments and relines
May need to be replaced every 3-5 years.

Removable partial dentures have metal hooks that wrap around existing teeth, which may compromise the health and appearance of those supporting teeth.

The Possible Advantages And Long-Term Benefits Of A Dental Implant And An Implant Crown:

An advanced therapy available to replace a missing tooth
A more predictable solution for a missing tooth compared to other options
A dental implant provides a foundation for your dentist to place an implant crown (your replacement tooth)
A dental implant and implant crown are maintained similar to a natural tooth.
A dental implant and implant crown can look, feel and function similar to a natural tooth.
Unlike fixed bridges or removable partial dentures, this treatment option limits the compromise to your surrounding natural teeth.
Oral bone integrates with the dental implant through a natural process