Implant Dentistry
Are you missing one or several teeth?
Attractive, healthy teeth are important for health and overall well-being. You look and feel confident when smiling and laughing with friends and family, anytime and anywhere. Strong teeth enable you to eat favorite foods; so important when maintaining a healthy diet.
There are many reasons why people lose more than one tooth, such as illness, an accident or simply inheriting poor teeth. This can have a serious impact on your quality of life. And it determines how you approach your continued dental health in the future.
At Five Star Dentists, we offer two methods to replace missing teeth, depending upon your individual circumstances. One method is a traditional ceramic bridge on natural teeth. The bridge consists of high-strength dental ceramic. Built with natural-looking replacement teeth, it is anchored to the adjacent teeth. To secure the bridge, the adjacent teeth must be reduced in size. Certain conditions are required when this method is used. This method does not solve the problem of further bone loss. See implant vs. bridge video under Patient Education / Implants.
The second method is bridge on implants. This method uses mordern implant technology. A durable bridge with natural-looking replacement teeth is securely positioned on dental implants. Healthy, adjacent teeth are left untouched. Dental implants are strong, biocompatible fixtures made of titanium, that act just like natural tooth roots. See Implants for more details.
Why you should not ignore missing teeth.
Each tooth plays a critical role in your oral health. Your teeth are part of a complex, integrated system. Every single tooth ensures, for example, that the teeth in front and behind stay aligned.
When we chew, a healthy tooth strengthens the quality of the jawbone and helps prevent bone loss. Missing teeth, on the other hand, can cause the jawbone to shrink. This is because the bone is no longer stimulated during chewing. Physical changes to the face are frequent result. You begin to look older than you really are.
Fortunately, mordern dental technology can bring your life back to normal again. By replacing missing teeth, gradual bone resorption can be stopped. As a result, further potential tooth loss can be prevented. In fact, with the right care and expertise, you can have teeth that are strong and that look and feel natural.