Today, many adults requiring tooth replacement opt for dental implants because of their numerous benefits and high success rate. When tooth extraction becomes necessary, replacing the tooth or teeth removed immediately is becoming increasingly common as it helps prevent possible problems caused by having an empty space between existing teeth and has a positive impact on what happens in the gums following extraction.
Implants don’t require modifying nearby teeth
Replacing an extracted tooth with some form of an implant has several benefits. With a dental implant, the tooth stands alone, and this means that the teeth on either side don’t require crowns as they would for a dental bridge. When an otherwise healthy tooth receives a crown, the tooth requires modification and will always need a crown to look natural. Crowns can last for many years, but they eventually need replacement, and this undermines the original strength of the natural tooth.
Implants help preserve jawbone mass
Following tooth extraction, the bone mass that held it begins to shrink and lose width and height. This loss of jaw bone undermines the stability of nearby teeth, and it’s common for the next tooth lost to be one adjoining the extracted tooth. By placing implants in the jawbone following extraction, it recreates the presence of a tooth root and stops bone loss. Dental implants don’t require support from teeth on either side, which means they can remain natural and healthy.
Tooth replacement is a necessity
Whenever a tooth is lost through trauma or extraction, it’s vital that the dentist replaces it as soon as possible. Every tooth keeps neighboring teeth in the correct position and leaving a space from a lost tooth leads to misalignment of neighboring teeth and teeth above or below growing longer, creating cracks or chips in other teeth. Misaligned teeth can lead to teeth grinding and clenching, sore jaw joints, headaches, migraines and even ringing in the ears.
Benefits of immediate implant placement
Using a dental implant for tooth replacement is a good choice and when placing it immediately is possible, it helps prevent any bone loss. Placing an implant immediately reduces treatment time because the extraction site is already the correct size and depth for a natural-looking and feeling implant placement. Immediate dental implant placement preserves natural gum contours including the tissues over the tooth and those that dip down between each tooth. Without a tooth to surround, the gums begin to flatten within days after the extraction, so immediate implant placement to preserve gum contours give a smile a more natural appearance.
Dental implants provide an excellent tooth replacement option and have increased benefits when immediate placement is a possibility. Contact Greater Baltimore Prosthodontics to discuss dental implants and the other tooth replacement treatments we offer.