Do you currently have dentures, but are tired of messy denture adhesives and slippage when eating or talking? Or maybe you are experiencing pain due to a broken or severely cracked tooth? No matter which situation you’re in, Dr. James P. Furgurson and Dr. Nathan O. White at Chapel Hill Family & Cosmetic Dentistry in Chapel Hill, NC, would like you to be educated about if dental implants could be a solution for your dental problems.
So join us as we uncover 6 important warning signs that you may need dental implants.
1. You have a severely cracked tooth or a broken tooth.
If you have a cracked or broken tooth, a dental crown or a dental implant may be your only options. While dentists usually want to save as much of the tooth structure as possible, if the tooth is damaged beyond repair, the best option might be a tooth extraction and an implant to replace the problem tooth. If an implant is needed, rest assured, it will look and function just like your natural teeth.
2. You are missing one or more of your natural teeth.
Having gaps in your smile where you are missing teeth can be embarrassing and make you self-conscious about smiling, talking or eating in public. The implant will fill in the space where your natural tooth was once located. It will look and feel just like your natural teeth too.
3. You have loose-fitting partials or a loose-fitting denture.
Loose-fitting dentures or partials can be frustrating to deal with on a daily basis. Implants are an excellent alternative to dentures and partials. You no longer have to worry about your dentures becoming loose or falling out in public while talking or eating.
4. You are starting to experience bone loss (in the jaw area).
Did you know that dental implants can actually help prevent the loss of healthy bone tissue in your jaw? It’s true. You see, the part of the implant that gets placed in the socket of the jawbone and acts as the artificial tooth root is made of titanium or zirconium. These materials naturally bond to the bone tissue. The bonding process is called osseointegration, which enables the implant roots to stimulate jaw bone growth just like the natural tooth roots would, lessening the chance of the bone deteriorating over time.
5. You have a sunken-in look to your facial appearance.
Did you ever notice the sunken-in or caved-in look that some denture-wearers have on a daily basis? Unfortunately, this is a common problem for patients who wear dentures due to bone loss as they grow older. Because dentures do not stimulate bone growth as implants do, the bone continues to deteriorate over time, resulting in the sunken-in appearance of some denture-wearer’s mouths. Dental implants solve this problem by stimulating bone growth in the jaw around the implant (See #4 above for details).
6. You have a tooth that cannot be saved.
Sometimes a severely decayed or infected tooth cannot be saved or fixed. Your dentist will make this determination after a thorough examination. If the problem tooth cannot be repaired or fixed, you may need to get it extracted. In this case a dental implant might be the best option to replace it as implants look and feel like your natural teeth.
Dental Implants in Chapel Hill, NC
Live in or near Chapel Hill, NC? Call Chapel Hill Family & Cosmetic Dentistry at 919.736.6175 for an implants consultation with one of our skilled and compassionate dentists or schedule with us online. We look forward to helping you restore your smile!