Everything You Need To Know About Tooth Implants

Picture of a man's dental implants

Losing teeth is not a unique dental issue, but missing a few pearly whites is bound to impact your confidence, not to mention your oral health. Thankfully, with the advent of dentures, bridges, crowns and other artificial devices, those without natural teeth will not have to walk through life with a gummy smile. 

That said, the flaws of the methods mentioned above of tooth restoration have come to light, with wearers experiencing ill-fitting and sometimes uncomfortable contraptions that eventually need replacing. High Dental Implants Melbourne has seen a rise in popularity for these very reasons. 

Tooth implants can last forever and are custom-fabricated to fit inside your mouth perfectly. Learn more about them and what to expect if you need to have your pearly whites replaced. 

What are implants?

Implants comprise of three components: a titanium screw, an abutment and a permanent crown. 

The titanium screw, drilled into the jaw bone, becomes the artificial root to your new crown. Not only does it hold the new tooth in place, but it also places pressure on the jawbone to keep it stimulated.

Exercising the jaw is necessary to keep it healthy, strong and dense, so a non-stimulated jaw could lead to tooth and bone loss that leaves you with a shrunken appearance and looking prematurely aged. 

The abutment is connected to the screw, which links the metal post to the new crown. 

The crown, custom-fabricated to fit your mouth perfectly, takes two to four weeks to produce in a laboratory. Once created, the crown is either screwed to the abutment or cemented into position using special adhesives. 

Are implants expensive?

Tooth implants will cost you more than dentures or bridges initially. That said, their benefits greatly outweigh their higher price point. 

By choosing implants, you can look forward to a device that looks as natural as your neighbouring teeth; contributes toward your oral health and will not need to be replaced in a couple of years down the line. 

What are some of the advantages of wearing implants?

  • When you lose a tooth and do not have it replaced, neighbouring teeth might shift in an attempt to close the gap, which could result in further tooth loss – this will not happen with implants.
  • While you need to take proper care of your teeth, but you are not required to incorporate new steps into your teeth cleaning routine, like you would with dentures. 
  • You do not need to file down neighbouring teeth to fit your new pearly white; your screw replaces your old tooth at the root in a tiny portion of the bone. 
  • Implants will not slip out of place at inopportune moments like dentures. Instead, they remain rooted in place and function identically to your surrounding teeth. 
  • Your implant is made from extremely durable material that is made to last. The screw is produced from titanium; the same metal also used to create space shuttles while the high-quality porcelain crown can withstand the test of time. 

Are you considering implants? While expensive, they could change your life in various ways.  

Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second

opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

Steps To Take If You Damage Your Dentures

Dentures lying on a table

One of the worst things that can happen if you own a pair of Dentures is for them to break, especially if you’re out in public. Not having a proper working set of prosthetic teeth can lead to all sorts of problems for owners from issues with speech to being unable to eat.

If you are a denture wearer and you often find yourself worrying about them breaking your lovely false teeth at the worst moment, then just keep a few of the following in mind to get yourself on the road to a replacement set as stress free as possible.

Stay calm

The most important thing you can do is tostay calm, there’s no point in you getting yourself all worked up and upset because your Dentures are damaged. Remember it’s something that can be fixed, so it’s not the end of the world for you. If you’re wearing them simply remove them and place the set inside a sealed container and bring them to your Dentist in Mackay when you can.

Visit your local practice

The sooner you get to your Mackay Dentist practice, the better. As mentioned above, try to keep your Dentures in a sealed container to make sure all the parts that are broken are present. This may allow the team at the practice to repair it or figure out how you can avoid future breakages.

In the event that you can’t get it fixed at the practice again don’t worry, you can always have another set made.

Do not try to repair it yourself

It really can’t be stressed enough how important it is that you do not try to repair your Dentures by yourself. Improper repair of the appliance can potentially lead to it breaking much easier over time, or you may damage your gums.

Also, using a non-approved adhesive to glue it together could be very bad for you as some of these substances can have toxic components that might leach out into your mouth when you’re wearing the Dentures post-repair. Just because you have Super Glue it doesn’t mean you should use it, go to your local practice to get it fixed.

Alternatives to Dentures

Depending on your situation you may be able to try out an alternative method to covering up your tooth problems as you could be offered the choice of a dental implant. Most practices like Northern Beaches Dental in Mackay as an example, tend to offer this service and it’s a quick, durable and more natural looking way of fixing gaps, cracked and damaged teeth.

The implants look like natural teeth, can be brushed normally as well as flossed and unlike Dentures, don’t have to be removed and regularly soaked to keep them clean when you go to bed.

As you can see, there are plenty of things you can try if you end up in the unfortunate situation of having a broken set of Dentures. If you’re interested in seeing if you qualify for implants or are concerned about your current set of teeth, then try asking your local practice for advice.