If you are missing a tooth, you could be having trouble chewing or talking. Your smile also does not look anywhere near as good as it could. But did you know that missing a tooth can lead to problems with cavities, crooked teeth, and even jawbone deterioration?
That’s why you need to call our Nashua dentists today at 603-546-7460 and schedule an appointment for dental implants. These tooth replacements last a long time and look like real teeth. Given our dentists’ years of training and experience, they are well suited to helping you have a complete smile once again.
Dental Implants Are An Old Idea
Believe it or not, dental implants can date back to the ancient Mayans. Archeologists uncovered evidence that Mayan dentists tried replacing lost teeth with seashells and minerals. These never worked well because they didn’t include an artificial tooth root.
That’s what makes modern dental implants so durable and strong. You’ll get a tough but natural-looking replacement tooth, but unlike other treatments, it will be attached to an artificial root surgically implanted in your jawbone. Since all your natural teeth have roots extending down into your jaw, dental implants are as close to a natural tooth as you can get.
The dental implant procedure is routine. First, our dentists take very detailed measurements of your smile. This allows a lab to craft your replacement tooth so it fits in that gap. Once complete, you’ll have an artificial root implanted in your jaw. You give that area time to heal some, then you come back to have the replacement connected to the root. There you go — your smile is complete again!
The Happy Accident With Titanium
What changed between the Mayan times and now to allow artificial roots to work? A happy accident from a scientist who wasn’t working on dental implants at all.
It was in the 1950s, and a researcher was studying what goes on inside bones. To collect data on that, he surgically implanted some small, titanium rods in the bones of a rabbit. After getting some data, he went to remove the rods. To his surprise, they had fused with the rabbit’s bones.
It turns out that titanium is the only metal that does this. All others do not fuse with your bones. Once this scientist published his study, dentists immediately saw how titanium would make a great artificial root. That’s how modern dental implants came to be — and why dental implants are so good for your smile.
Benefits Of Having Dental Implants
How can dental implants help your smile? The most obvious way is by replacing lost teeth. But that leads to other benefits as well.
You can eat, talk, and smile like you used to.
While this depends somewhat on which tooth is missing, any gap left behind by a lost tooth is troublesome. You need all your teeth to chew effectively, and some foods hitting that gap can hurt. Some words are harder to pronounce without all your teeth as well. Then there’s your smile — it just looks much better when all your teeth are there.
Your jawbone is kept strong and healthy.
The bone tissue in your jaw needs stimulation to stay healthy. Normally, that comes from your teeth. When you chew, pressure travels down the roots and into the bone tissue, stimulating it. When you’ve lost a tooth, you’ve also lost the root and the pressure that travels down it.
Dental implants include artificial roots. This lets the pressure from chewing reach your jawbone and stimulate the bone tissue there, keeping your jawbone strong and healthy.
Your self-esteem gets a boost.
To be blunt, an empty space in your smile really stands out, and not in a good way. You can easily feel a bit embarrassed about your gap-toothed smile. Knowing that can lower your confidence and self-esteem as you worry about what others might think. But when you replace a lost tooth with a dental implant, your self-esteem improves because you know that problem is gone.
You can enjoy having that dental implants for 20 years or longer.
Dental implants are not the most affordable way to replace missing teeth, but they keep your jawbone healthy and complete your smile. But they also last a long time. No dental restoration lasts forever, but dental implants last 20 years or longer as the rule. Some people never need another tooth replacement for the rest of their life.
Call Nashua Family Dentistry today at 603-546-7460 or use our convenient online form to schedule your appointment for dental implants. Our dentists have the right mix of practical experience and training to help restore your smile for many years to come.