Close the Gaps on Your Smile

The loss of just one tooth can have a dramatic impact on your smile. Fortunately, dental implants, an innovative tooth restoration option, dental implantsprovide an effective way to fill the gaps in your teeth. Our Vancouver, WA, dentist, Dr. Jill Markos, explains how implants can improve and restore your smile.

Tooth loss doesn't just affect your appearance

It's not unusual to feel a little self-conscious about the way you look after you lose a tooth. Although concerns about self-esteem are common, the consequences of tooth loss aren't limited to appearance only. If you don't replace your missing tooth, chewing can become more difficult, particularly if you've lost a molar or pre-molar. Eventually, your other teeth may try to fill the gap in your smile by drifting toward the opening. As they begin to overlap, you may notice changes in your appearance and in your bite. Cavities may also be more likely to occur if you can't completely remove plaque from the areas of the teeth that overlap.

Replacing the lost tooth with a bridge, dentures or a dental implant will prevent shifting from occurring and making chewing easier. Although all of these methods can restore missing teeth, dental implants are the only option that replaces the entire tooth.

The titanium implant serves as replacement root and anchors a dental crown that replaces the visible part of your missing tooth. Because implants bond to your jawbone, they're designed to become a permanent part of your smile. Implants are placed during a minor procedure in an oral surgeon's office. After bonding occurs in about three to six months, you'll visit our Vancouver office to be fitted for your new crown. Once the crown is attached to the implant, your tooth will be fully restored.

Implants keep your jaw strong

Jaw resorption is a common consequence of tooth loss. Resorption occurs when the jawbone shrinks due to lack of stimulation from tooth roots. Replacing missing roots with dental implants prevents this serious problem. The implants place continual pressure on the jawbone, just as the natural roots did. Without dental implants, you may eventually experience facial sagging and loose teeth as a result of the shrinking jawbone.

Dental implants offer an excellent solution no matter how many teeth you've lost. Call our Vancouver, WA, dentist, Dr. Jill Markos. at (360) 693-2544 to schedule an appointment to discuss this long-lasting restoration option.

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