What are dental implants?
If you are missing teeth and you choose to get dentures, the dentures sit on top of the gums. Dental implants, though, replace teeth and look and feel more realistic than dentures. A post is inserted into the jawbone, and the two are given time to fuse. Then, an abutment is placed on this post, and your new tooth is placed on top of that.
Patients love implants for many reasons. They not only look like real teeth, but they are as easy to take care of as real teeth are – just brush and floss as you normally would. Dental implants are also a great option if you are self-conscious about a missing tooth. And, dental implants help to keep your other teeth from moving around, which can lead to jaw pain and difficulty keeping teeth clean, if they become bunched up close together. If you do nothing about missing teeth, it can also, over time, begin to change the shape of your face, making it look saggy.
Another benefit of dental implants, which you don’t get if you opt for dentures, is that dental implants are good for the health of your jawbone. When you use your teeth to bite and chew, force is transmitted to the jawbone. This force stimulates new bone mass to be created – if you are missing a tooth, the jawbone underneath starts to break down. This means an unhealthy jawbone, which can lead to more missing teeth and even more bone loss in the jaw.
Dental implants not only look and feel good – they can be good for your jawbone and your other teeth as well. If you are interested in dental implants, contact the Konig Center for Cosmetic and Comprehensive Dentistry in Houston, Texas, for a dental implant consultation. Call (713) 668-2289 for an appointment today!
