If you lose a tooth, you have a couple of methods available to you for replacing it. For one, you could have your dentist build a wire bridge between the teeth on either side of the missing tooth, and then adhere a crown to this support structure. For another, you could have your dentist, like those at Dental Images, implant a titanium root into your jawbone and attach a crown to it. While the second method is more painful, it is also more durable in the long run. If you choose the durability that comes with a prosthetic tooth, you still need to carefully care for it in order for it to last as long as it should.
What Is an Implant?
As mentioned above, an implant consists of two parts: the prosthetic root or post, and the crown. To create a new root for your replacement tooth, dentists will use titanium. Not only is this a strong material, but it will not react with your body, so you should not have to worry about any adverse effects resulting from implanting the post into your jaw. Crowns are typically made from porcelain, and should be as—if not more—durable than your body's natural enamel.
How to Care for an Implant
Your titanium root and porcelain crown should hold up well to acidic foods, plaque, bacteria, etc. That being said, you still must brush and floss your implant regularly. For one thing, this will help to keep your tooth looking clean and white. Furthermore, if you do not care for your fake tooth, you can still get gum disease, and if your gums start to rot, your tooth can still fall out. Thus, for aesthetic as well as health reasons, it is important to develop a regular routine of brushing and flossing. You will also want to warn hygienists about your implant so that they don't use metal tools on your tooth. Metal can gouge the titanium post and create grooves that allow bacteria to get down into your gums. If warned, hygienists can use plastic tools and forestall this danger.
Just because you have lost a tooth, you should not think that your smile will now be broken forever. While you could ask for a bridge, you will get more durability from an implant. If you get an implant, however, you should not feel like your new tooth is indestructible and, thus, does not require constant care. For the best, most long-lasting results, you should properly maintain your replacement tooth.
Share2 September 2015
Do you have "bad teeth"? I do. Ever since I was a kid, every checkup turns up a number of issues ranging from cavities to dental fractures. It has always been frustrating to keep my smile in decent shape, which is one of the reasons I started focusing on understanding different dental problems. I wanted to know what I was getting into when I visited the doctor, so I began focusing on learning as much as I could. I wanted to create this blog all about dentistry so that other people could find out what to expect when they head to the dentist. Check it out!
