Why Choose Implants?

Dental implants replace the root of a missing tooth as well as the visible part, which gives them some real advantages over other ways of replacing teeth. Here are five reasons patients choose them.

What implants can be used for

1. Most like natural teeth

Natural teeth have roots that keep them securely anchored to your jawbone. In a similar way, implant teeth form a solid attachment with the bone in your jaw.

This is possible because dental implants are made of titanium, a metal that has a unique ability to fuse to living bone. After an implant is inserted during a minor procedure, it will become solidly fused to your bone over a period of several months. Once that happens, your implant-supported replacement tooth should feel very close to a natural tooth, and the crown is made to match your own teeth. Implant teeth let you eat, speak and smile with confidence because they don’t slip or shift the way removable dentures can.

2. The longest-lasting tooth replacements

Because an implant bonds with your jawbone, it can last many years, often decades, with good care and check-ups. Dentures and bridgework usually need to be replaced or remade over time. The crown on top of an implant may eventually need replacing, but the implant itself is designed to stay. That’s why implants are often the best long-term value.

3. Help to preserve bone

You may not know it, but bone loss inevitably follows tooth loss. Bone is a living tissue that needs constant stimulation to rebuild itself and stay healthy. In the case of your jawbone, that stimulation comes from the teeth. When even one tooth is lost, the bone beneath it begins to resorb, or melt away. This can give your face a prematurely aged appearance and even leave your jaw more vulnerable to fractures if left untreated long enough. Dental implants help slow this process by fusing to the jawbone and keeping it in use — something dentures and bridges can’t do.

4. Kind to neighbouring teeth

Dental implants have no effect on the health of adjacent natural teeth; other tooth-replacement systems, however, can weaken adjacent teeth. With bridgework, for example, the natural teeth on either side of a gap left by a missing tooth must provide support for the dental bridge. This can stress those adjacent teeth and leave them more susceptible to decay. Likewise, a partial denture relies on adjacent natural teeth for support and may cause those teeth to loosen over time. Dental implants are stand-alone tooth replacements that don't rely on support from adjacent natural teeth.

5. Easy to care for

Caring for implant teeth is no different than caring for your natural teeth. You brush them and clean between them daily. But you'll never have to apply special creams and adhesives, or soak them in a glass overnight, as you would with dentures. They'll also never need a filling or a root canal, as the natural teeth supporting bridgework might. While implants can never decay, they can be compromised by gum disease. Good oral hygiene and regular visits to the dental office for professional cleanings and exams is the best way to prevent gum disease, and to help your implants last many years, often decades.

Want to know whether implants suit you? See dental implants or book an assessment.

Book online Call 01922 624900