Are Dental Implants the Better Choice?

When it comes to your smile, only the best will do, right? Teeth lost to accident, disease, or aging can put a hole in your smile and often your self-esteem. Fortunately, advances in dentistry mean that you don’t have to hassle with dentures, bridges or crowns to restore your smile. Dental implants have become the preferred option for those seeking to replace broken or missing teeth. Unlike other alternatives, dental implants mimic the natural look and feel of your real teeth. Understanding more about dental implants cost and types can help you decide if they are the best choice for you. Learn more below and then contact your dentist in Indiana to discuss an affordable plan to suit your needs. Dental implants are the most advanced and often preferred alternative to dentures. A dental implant is a small dental appliance that is inserted into the upper or lower jaw designed to ideally replace individual missing teeth or support a bridge or denture.

Benefits of Dental Implants

Dental implants offer a number of advantages over dentures or bridges. Individuals with a significant number of missing teeth may benefit from dental implants because they mimic the natural tooth more effectively and/or can enhance the fit of dentures, bridges, or crowns. The American Academy of Implant Prosthodontics recommends implants for the following reasons:

• Support and improve stability of dentures, bridges, and/or crowns
• Improve speech and appearance impairments often associated with new dentures
• Ease proper chewing
• Approximate the “feel” of natural teeth better than dentures

Two Types of Dental Implants

1. Endosteal implants are the most common type of implant. This implant mimics the form and function of the natural tooth, as it is inserted directly into the jawbone, acting as the tooth’s root and then fitted with a crown. With optimal healing and adherence to good dental care, the implant will be incorporated into the bone to offer full support and function.

2. Subperiosteal implants are placed onto the bone rather than into the bone. This type of implant is used most often used to cover a large surface area, such as when there is not enough bone to support endosteal implants. Most of the implant structure is under the gum tissue; however, the posts remain exposed above the gums and the dentures or partials are then attached to these posts.

Factors for Consideration of Dental Implants

You and your dentist in Indiana will work together to determine the dental implants cost if you are an optimal candidate for implants:

1. Health: Are you in good health?

2. Oral Health: Do you have healthy gums and a jawbone strong enough to support the dental implants?

3. Diagnosis of Condition: missing teeth or a tooth/teeth that needs to be extracted and replaced.

4. Preexisting Diseases and Conditions: Are you suffering from any disease or conditions that may limit your ability to heal properly?

5. Lifestyle: Will you avoid lifestyle choices, such as heavy smoking and drinking, to improve successful outcomes with dental implants?

6. Commitment to Dental Health: Are you committed to meticulous dental care and regular visits to your dentist following dental implant placement?

To get the dental care you deserve from an affordable dentist in Indiana, call Wadas Dental today or make an appointment.