The healthy, natural form and function of your teeth are optimal for their long-term health and integrity. Unfortunately, several different conditions may impact the overall function of your teeth, and the loss of one of them can be a significant one. When it comes to dealing with tooth loss, the best way to restore your oral health and avoid the potentially serious consequences of it is to replace the tooth with a lifelike restoration as soon as possible. With their unique ability to replace the roots of lost teeth, dental implants are often the optimal solution.
The conventional way to replace a tooth
Tooth replacement has always been an important part of professional dental care, though dental implants are a relatively new solution for achieving it. Traditionally, patients who lost a tooth would benefit most from replacing it with a dental bridge. The restoration consists of a custom-designed replacement for the lost tooth that closely mimics its healthy, natural structure. The lost tooth’s replacement is supported by one or a pair of lifelike dental crowns, which your dentist can bond securely to the healthy teeth that are near the empty space in your smile.
What a dental implant does for your replacement
Custom-made dental bridges are the conventional solution for replacing a lost tooth, and with today’s advanced materials and dental technologies, they can closely resemble healthy, natural teeth. However, one of the reasons why tooth loss can have a negative impact on your oral health is the loss of your natural tooth root. Without this root, the area of your jawbone structure that supported it will lose stimulation and, over time, some of its mass and density. A dental implant restoration can prevent this by replacing the root of the lost tooth, which a conventional tooth replacement option isn’t able to provide.
Benefiting from a dental implant and crown
Today, patients who lose a natural tooth can often benefit more from replacing it with a dental implant and crown. While dental bridges can offer lifelike results for your smile’s appearance and some of your bite’s function, only a dental implant can mimic the full function of your lost tooth. That includes stimulating the jawbone structure that supported it root to better preserve its health and integrity, and also reduce your risks of more extensive tooth loss in the future.
Replace your lost tooth with a dental implant
After losing a tooth, your replacement for it should resemble the healthy, natural tooth structure as closely as possible, which could require the addition of a dental implant post. To learn more, schedule a consultation by calling Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA, today at 707-545-4625.