Losing a tooth feels like losing a part of yourself, whether it happened from an accident, decay, or extraction. You might find yourself chewing only on one side, avoiding certain foods, or feeling self-conscious when you smile. Dental implants offer a permanent solution that looks, feels, and functions like your natural teeth, giving you back the confidence and comfort you deserve. Read on to learn more.
What Are Dental Implants?
Modern tooth replacement has come a long way from the removable options your grandparents used. Today’s dental implants provide a permanent solution that mimics natural tooth structure in ways that bridges and dentures simply can’t match.
Dental implants replace the entire tooth structure from root to crown. A titanium post gets surgically placed into your jawbone in the spot where your natural tooth root used to be. Over several months, your bone grows around this post in a process called osseointegration, creating a foundation as stable as your original tooth. Then, we attach an abutment and a custom crown that matches your other teeth perfectly. The result is a tooth replacement in which the artificial tooth becomes a permanent part of your mouth, not something removable or temporary.
Why Implants Beat Other Tooth Replacement Options
When comparing tooth replacement options, implants offer distinct advantages that affect your daily life and long-term oral health:
• Implants protect your other teeth – A bridge requires grinding down healthy neighboring teeth to serve as anchors. Implants stand alone without affecting other teeth, preserving your natural tooth structure completely.
• Implants preserve your jawbone – Dentures slip around and need replacement every few years because your jawbone continues shrinking without tooth roots to stimulate it. Implants preserve your jawbone by stimulating it the way natural roots do, preventing the bone loss that ages your face.
• Implants function like real teeth – You brush and floss them like regular teeth, eat whatever you want without worry, and never take them out at night. Most patients tell us they forget which tooth is the implant within months because it feels so natural.
The Treatment Process & Timeline
Getting an implant typically takes several months from start to finish, though the actual time you spend in our office is minimal. We place the titanium post during a minor surgical procedure. Then, your mouth heals for three to six months while osseointegration happens. Once the implant has fused with your jawbone, we attach the abutment and crown in one or two appointments. Some patients qualify for same-day temporary teeth, which means they’re never walking around with a visible gap.
What Makes You a Good Candidate
Most people with missing teeth can get implants. You need adequate jawbone density to support the post, healthy gums, and good overall health. Conditions like uncontrolled diabetes or active gum disease need to be managed first, but they don’t necessarily rule out implants forever. Smokers can get implants, though quitting significantly improves success. If you’ve been missing a tooth for years and your bone has deteriorated, bone grafting can rebuild what you’ve lost and make implants possible again.
Living With Your New Tooth
The investment in dental implants pays off every single day. You stop working around that missing tooth and just live your life. One patient recently told us she finally ate corn on the cob at a family barbecue after avoiding it for three years, and nobody at the table even knew she had an implant. That’s exactly the point of this treatment: getting you back to normal so completely that you forget there was ever a problem. Your implant can last decades with proper care, making it the closest thing to having your natural tooth back. Contact us at our office located in Kissimmee, FL.