More Dental Health Articles
Advanced 3D Technology To Replace Missing Teeth
Wouldn't it be nice if we could grow new teeth after they fall out, get chipped or damaged, like alligators and sharks? Despite the fact that we don't have that ability, there is a way to replace missing teeth with new ones that look as natural as real ones, and even better.
Dental implants have been around for many years, but thanks to new technology, developed to make the procedure faster and easier, you can now get a movie star smile for a lifetime. Advanced dentistry makes dental implants the best choice to restore missing teeth, for many people.
Replacing a Lost Tooth
A dental implant is a root-form titanium piece that is implanted surgically inside the jawbone, and topped with a crown. It looks just like a natural tooth. Often when a tooth is lost, people don't replace it immediately, and they lose most of the bone. When you lose a tooth, you are no longer stimulating the bone that is attached to the root of the tooth, so it starts shrinking. That's why it's so important to replace the tooth as soon as it is lost.
Dentures vs. Implants
An implant is a root formed titanium piece placed into the jawbone that serves as an anchor to retain a dental prosthesis. The implant is attached to your bone, it's stable, strong, doesn't break, move or decay, and looks and feels like a natural tooth. A denture is a bigger piece that partially covers the palate affecting your ability to taste food. Over time, some people feel that the denture moves around, and they can't eat properly and that the dentures may even become painful.
New Teeth In 40 Minutes
With the new advances in technology, implant surgery has become faster, easier, more predictable and with minimum post-operative discomfort to the patient. Today, skilled implant dentists are able to use a special implant planning software program to upload a CT scan of the patient's bone in a 3-dimensional image. Once everything is planned on the software, the dentist can see where to place the implants.
Dentists can virtually place the implant with accurate precision. Once the implant is placed, the bone starts growing around it. After a 4-6 month healing time to allow the bone to integrate around the implant, a permanent restoration is screwed down to it.
If the patient's missing tooth is in front, the dentist will place a temporary crown to cover the space during the healing months. The new system has a 95% success rate, and most insurance companies cover 40-50 percent of the cost.
Want a Perfect Smile? Try Veneers
Veneers were developed for patients who have chipped, discolored or stained teeth and want to make them look better without having to replace them with an implant. A veneer is a porcelain or circadian piece that is bonded on top of the natural tooth. It looks just like a natural tooth and is strong enough to enable patients to eat without damaging the tooth.
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