A current statistic shows that 69% of adults have at least 1 missing tooth. This is usually due to trauma, infection, or the tooth just breaking under the stress of everyday usage and grinding. By age 70, about 1/4 have lost all of their teeth. That’s a lot!
Here at McKinney Dentist, we know that people have several choices for what to do with these spaces. In almost all of these cases, our dentists believe that dental implants are the best solution for either replacement of, or securing the replacements of all of these teeth. However, many people think they aren’t candidates for implants because they “don’t have enough bone.” While once true, modern tissue engineering, using the patients own growth and healing factors, allow us to place dental implants practically anywhere we choose!
Bone loss
When a tooth is lost for any reason, and not replaced immediately, the surrounding bone melts away. The longer the teeth are missing the more bone is lost. This can be a problem because dental implants, just like the original teeth, need bone to support them.
Dental implants are basically a man-made root. When people use a removable replacement for their missing teeth, such as a denture or partial denture, the movement of these loosely fitting teeth accelerates the loss of bone, as well as damages any remaining teeth supporting them. Often, this starts the snowball rolling by causing additional tooth loss.
The loss of bone in a person with no teeth will also make the face look more wrinkled. Furthermore, as muscle tone is lost, a permanent frown is created; and as face height shrinks, the chin starts moving up and coming forward, giving the “witches chin” appearance. At McKinney Dentist, we can correct these issues with dental implants.
Benefits of dental implants
Our dentists want you to understand the amazing benefits of dental implants, including:
- Dental implants, just like teeth, create work in the bone. It’s this work, or force, that keeps the bone around.
- Dental implants give a solid foundation to build natural looking, feeling, and working teeth.
- They can be used to replace one, several, or all of the missing teeth.
- They can also be used to help secure a denture or partial, allowing better chewing, talking, and overall life!
Am I a good candidate for dental implants?
For years, patients have been told that they aren’t candidates for implants because they don’t have enough bone. This forced dentists to place implants in less than ideal positions, or at angles that no engineer would ever consider placing a supporting beam at (which is basically what an implant does—supports the tooth). Today, there are several well-marketed procedures and clinics that use these angled implants to get around the bone issue. Our highly trained cosmetic dentists know that this compromise is not necessary, and it actually sets patients up for more problems down the road.
McKinney Dentist has your solution!
At McKinney Dentist, we have your solution:
- We have the ability to grow both gums and bone in areas that allow us to place dental implants in the most ideal positions possible.
- Whether it be to replace just 1 tooth, a mouth full of teeth, or even to help anchor a loose denture so it doesn’t move anymore, we can use our patients own growth factors to recreate the bone that has been lost.
- Teeth can be engineered to give the best chance of lasting a lifetime, giving improved comfort, function, and appearance.
If you are missing teeth and would like to replace them, or have a poorly fitting or unsightly bridge or denture, and would like to make a huge improvement, give us a call. You can schedule an appointment to meet with Dr. Lynch. After examining your teeth and gums, and discussing your goals, he can get you started down the road to a better and healthier lifestyle with dental implant supported teeth.