Real Teeth Compared to Dental Implants

If your tooth or teeth have been damaged or are decayed, your dentist will do their best to treat them and repair them. While your dentist would prefer that you keep your real teeth, there are times in which your real teeth are too damaged or decayed to save. If this is the case, an extraction of your real teeth may be necessary. Once your real teeth are extracted, your dentist and you can discuss different replacement options. One popular replacement option for real teeth is dental implants.

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are dental prosthetics used to replace real teeth that have fallen out, been knocked out or have been extracted. These prosthetics involve the placement of titanium rods or metal frames that are attached to the jawbone.

Why Would I Need Implants?

Dental implants are an excellent option for patients that want a replacement for their real teeth that is similarly durable and cosmetically appealing. Dental implants provide an excellent amount of support, while still blending well with surrounding teeth. Their longevity, appearance and strength make them an excellent replacement option.

It’s important to understand that dental implants aren’t just a cosmetic replacement, though. If real teeth that have been removed, knocked out or have fallen out aren’t replaced, there is a significant risk to the oral health of the patient. The surrounding, healthy teeth will likely begin to migrate. This can cause crowding, and the impacting of healthy teeth. This, in turn, can lead to disease, decay and infection. The jawbone may also begin to deteriorate over time.

Dental implants help to keep real teeth from migrating, and help to maintain the integrity of the patient’s jawbone.

Real Teeth Versus Dental Implants

As was stated above, dentists prefer patients to have their real teeth. This is why they will consider different repair options before they opt for a full replacement. If a dentist has decided that a patient’s tooth or teeth cannot be repaired, they will then consider replacement.

Dental implants can be expensive, and it is often much more affordable for a patient to simply take care of their real teeth, and have certain reparative procedures performed when the teeth have become decayed, infected or damaged. Still, if the teeth of the patient are no longer there, it’s important for the oral health of the patient to have those teeth replaced.

Whether they are real teeth or prosthetics, something needs to fill the gap where one or more teeth are missing.

Am I a Candidate for Dental Implants?

While dental implants are an excellent replacement choice for patients that have lost their real teeth, they are not an option for all patients. Dental implants require a patient to have enough bone tissue in their jawbone to support the titanium rods or the metal frame that are being installed. If they do not have enough bone tissue, a dentist may consider other options—like the placement of a dental bridge.

There may be the chance of a bone tissue graft, but it’s important to understand that these grafts are not guaranteed to be effective, and can be quite costly. The implant procedure overall can also be costly, which means implants may not be an immediate option.

Dental implants can often last longer than other tooth replacement options, but they do cost more money upfront. This will need to be taken into consideration before the choice is made for the replacement of the real teeth.

Luckily, some insurance plans cover a portion of the procedure. If you would like to have dental implants placed, speak with your insurance provider about your level of coverage.

Set an Appointment

If your real teeth need to be pulled, or if you have an accident that knocks your real teeth out, set an appointment with your dentist to discuss your tooth replacement options. If your dentist is unable to provide cosmetic dentistry services, ask for a referral for a local cosmetic dentist in your area, or search online. From there, make sure to contact your insurance company to check which procedures are covered, how much of each procedure is covered and whether the dentist you have chosen is in-network or not.

Once a cosmetic dentist takes a look at the gap where your tooth or teeth are missing, they will determine which options are available to replace your real teeth. If dental implants are an option, feel free to ask more about costs and the implant procedure.