The gap left behind by a missing tooth or multiple missing teeth can create the appearance that you are years older than your true chronological age.
Fortunately, this aging process is reversible. It can be fixed in just a few visits to the implant dentist. Dental implants give you the opportunity to shave years from your smile.
In terms of aesthetics, dental implants are far superior to other tooth replacement techniques. A fixed permanent bridge does not look as natural as a dental implant does, and dentures often slip out of place and they lose their fit over time.
In fact, dental implants can be so lifelike that it’s often hard to tell them apart from their biological neighbors. You may be able to create the illusion that you never lost a tooth in the first place.
Dental implants are long-lasting, too. An implant dentist offers patients a tooth replacement solution that will help you look younger for decades to come. The titanium screw-like structures become a permanent fixture in the jawbone, providing a complete tooth structure as a fill-in for the real thing.
The bone loss that accompanies tooth loss can also prematurely age a patient’s facial feature. When a tooth is lost, its root is no longer available to hold the underlying jawbone in its place. As a result, the jawbone in the vicinity wears away, creating a sunken-in effect in the lower face.
Because dental implants replicate that missing root, jawbone atrophy does not occur with dental implants as it does with bridges and dentures. Patients who choose dental implants get the added benefit of maintaining a youthful bone structure.
Unlike the alternatives, dental implants are the only tooth replacement devices that replicate the entire tooth structure. Bridges and dentures fail to prevent bone loss, and dentures may even need to be refitted as the shape of the jawbone changes over time.
To take advantage of all of the benefits of dental implants, contact Charlottesville Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center at 434-295-0911 to see if the devices are an appropriate treatment for your case.