Modern technology to replace missing teeth

Missing teeth can be a big embarrassment for some individuals and, gradually, they can lose confidence in their smile which negatively affects their mental health. Other than the psychological effects of missing teeth, the ability to bite into once-loved foods and chew correctly can be hampered, causing a decline in quality of life as well as intake of proper nutrition from whole foods. With dental implants in Bromley, all these problems and more can be solved thanks to modern technology helping dentists place these little life-changing devices into patients’ jaws to support false teeth like never before.

Dentures of the past and the new solution

It was once only possible to replace missing teeth with dentures or bridges and while this technique would suffice for creating a prettier smile and eating, they would still present a problem of limiting the types of foods one could eat as well as standing the risk of falling out which still left people feeling self-conscious, these dentures are also rather delicate and require special care and handling. Another problem that presents itself with missing teeth is not cosmetic but structural; once a tooth is removed from the jaw, the bone no longer serves a function in that area and is reabsorbed by the body, this unwanted bone loss causes the face to appear sunken and aged and can affect any remaining teeth making them loose.

Implants however not only secure a set of false and convincing looking teeth in place that can help people return to their former lifestyles before losing teeth, but they also replace the root portion of the tooth which helps stabilize the jaw structure and even encourage the bone to grow back. If you need to know more about it as well as see which dentists can do this procedure, you may want to check this out initially to get some more background before proceeding.

The procedure

This is a big surgery for which patients may be offered sedation. After X-rays have been taken and a proper assessment of the jaw is done, the dentist will first determine if a bone graft is needed to help replace any missing bone, should a patient have been wearing dentures for many years. If it is deemed safe to proceed, an implant dentist will first numb the area of the mouth that is to be worked on before the gum is opened up to expose the bone.

The dentist then uses a special drill to make a space in the bone in which the titanium implant can be inserted, when this small screw is set into the bone the gum is stitched up and the patient fitted with a temporary bridge or denture in order to go home and allow the healing process to be complete. This can take up to 6 months, depending on individuals, because the bone needs to grow onto the implant. This process is not painful and once it is complete the permanent tooth, bridge or denture can be secured to the implant.

Implants can replace a single missing tooth or multiple missing teeth in a row, they can also support a full denture on only 4 implants thanks to this modern technology that is helping people smile.