Missing tooth replaced with realistic dental implant from City of London dentist
Having a missing tooth or teeth can be the source of great embarrassment and the root of self-confidence and esteem issues. After all, we all want to have a perfect smile and a missing tooth is a definite barrier to that, but a missing tooth can have other health implications beyond the psychological.
If there is a tooth missing in the dental arc it can cause all the other teeth to lean into the space. This can cause alignment issues that can also affect bite, causing irritation and the development of painful jaw conditions called TMJ. It can also be the case that a missing tooth can cause sagging of the facial tissue. Teeth act as rigid supports for the facial muscles and if they are missing the muscles can lapse giving a sunken and unhealthy appearance to the face. Therefore it is important to replace the missing tooth as soon as possible to limit the effects of a missing tooth.
There are several options for patients with missing teeth. A dental bridge or partial denture provide a more flexible and short-term solution to a missing tooth but many patients find these too flimsy or unstable to be comfortable. One form of artificial tooth provides a stable and realistic replacement for a real tooth and as such is increasingly becoming the choice of substitute for patients. A dental implant is a solid metal screw that is secured directly into the jawbone, to which an artificial crown is attached. Because the implant is anchored to the jaw itself it provides a level of stability second only to a real tooth. With the advances in ceramic technology, the attached crown can also be incredibly lifelike and does not prohibit the eating of certain foods like bridges or dentures.
Dental implants can usually be fitted in two or three sessions with the dentist. The screw will be implanted during the first session and then allowed to fuse with the bone and gum in a process called osseointergration. This usually takes two to three weeks before the remaining parts of the implant can be secured. If you are suffering the embarrassment of a missing tooth or are unhappy with an existing substitute, ask a City of London dentist about dental implants.
