Who Needs Dental Implants?

Missing teeth are not a good look or good for your health. One missing tooth can hinder your ability to eat comfortably and speak clearly.  A missing tooth can lead to misalignment of all of your other teeth, which could lead to problems with your oral health.

The American College of Prosthodontists says more than 36 million people in the United States are completely toothless, and more than 120 million are missing at least one tooth. 

Luckily, there are many ways to restore missing teeth. Dental implants are the gold standard.

Our dentists, Dr. Ilya Miloslavskiy and Dr. Jasmine Bassali, at EZ Dental Clinic are dental implant experts. Here’s what they want you to know about determining if you need a dental implant.

Dental implants explained

Dental implants are different from dentures, which are removable prostheses that replace an arch of teeth. Dental implants are false teeth that are individually and permanently fixed into your jaw. 

An implant consists of these parts:

• A titanium post that acts as a tooth root
• An abutment that sits atop the post
• A crown that’s affixed to the abutment

During oral surgery, your dentist inserts the titanium post into your jawbone. Over time, the bone tissue grows around the post. Because it mimics a tooth root, a dental implant helps to stimulate bone growth, preventing jawbone atrophy which can change the shape of your face. 

Dental implants are constructed to look and feel like natural teeth. Implants can boost your overall health by: 

• Making eating easier
• Restoring your smile
• Boosting self-confidence 
• Creating healthy pressure on your jawbone
• Enabling clearer speech
• Protecting your overall tooth alignment

You treat dental implants just like your natural teeth. Brush and floss twice a day, and visit us for a cleaning and checkup at least twice a year. 

Are dental implants right for you? 

Dental implants don’t work for everyone. To be a candidate for implants you should have healthy gums and adequate jawbone tissue. Plus you need to be in good overall health and cleared for surgery.

Smoking delays healing and can affect the success of your implants. You might want to explore a smoking cessation program before you consider a dental implant.

Although implants and implant surgery are safe for most people, diabetes and other conditions that affect your immune system can make recovery more difficult. If you have one of these conditions, make sure you discuss them with us. 

If your jawbone already has started to atrophy, you may benefit from a minimally invasive bone graft that adds mass to your jawbone. 

Although dental implants take months to restore your smile, they are the next-best option to having healthy, natural teeth. If you’d like to discuss dental implants with our EZ Dental Clinic team, call our office in Bellevue, Washington, or use our online booking tool.