Single Tooth Implant Sydney
A missing tooth can cause anxiety in your personal and social life.
Going to work, meeting with friends and talking on the phone can seem simple enough but if you are embarrassed by the look of your missing tooth or slurred speech, getting a replacement is important.
Replacing a tooth
Leaving a missing tooth untreated that exposes your open gum is worse for your oral health than you first might think. A combination of bone loss in your jaw coupled with drifting teeth can do major, often irreparable damage.
Bone loss occurs in the jaw when a missing tooth is not replaced and the bone itself physically shrinks over time. This process is known as resorption and is a natural occurrence when the forces put on the bone from the teeth while chewing disappear. Replacing a missing tooth is vital as the resorption process starts taking place almost immediately after the tooth is detached and becomes progressively worse over time. Bone resorption is made much worse if you have multiple missing teeth.
Drifting teeth occurs when the neighbouring teeth compensate for the empty space left by a missing tooth, this includes teeth slowly and gradually leaning over. In the same respect, a tooth that is lost can also have an effect on the opposing tooth of the jaw. For example, if you lose one of your front bottom teeth, the opposing tooth from the top can start drifting downwards to fill the gap where there wasn’t one before.
A dental bridge vs a dental implant
There are some significant benefits when opting for a dental implant over a bridge when you lose a tooth. The main benefit is that a dental implant literally looks and works like a natural tooth. A bridge procedure needs to effectively grind and shave down perfectly fine neighbouring teeth in order to fit the bridge into your mouth. There is no need to sacrifice any other teeth just because one has been removed with a dental implant.
A dental bridge will still not apply any pressure to the site of the missing tooth – the only pressure will be on the neighbouring teeth, which only alleviates the drifting problem. Due to the lack of pressure at the site of the missing tooth, your jawbone, while not as aggressively, will still begin and continue to shrink.
How does a dental implant work?
A dental implant is the most effective option as the implant replaces the root of your tooth as well as the visible tooth. The implant supports the bone structure of your jaw much better than any other treatment – keeping your jawbone healthy. The implant is a cylinder shape with a screw like surface, which is placed into your jaw. Over the following months, the implant and bone bond together – a process known as osseointegration. Once the bone and gums have finished healing, your prosthetic tooth, also known as a crown, is ready to be secured. Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks or failure or rejection.
