Downers Grove Dental Implants

When you have a missing tooth, a dental implant is the closest thing to having your natural tooth back. A surgeon will place an artificial tooth root in your jaw, and then Dr. Blair will place an implant porcelain crown over this so that it looks just like a tooth.

There are two other ways to replace a missing tooth. One way is with a dental bridge. With a bridge, crowns are placed on the teeth on either side and a false tooth is suspended between them. This is the traditional way of replacing a single missing tooth.

Another way is with a removable denture, either a full denture or a partial denture. This is the traditional way to replace multiple missing teeth, even when all the teeth are missing. The teeth are placed on a resin or a metal base and they rest on your gums. If there are remaining teeth, clasps will be placed on the denture to help anchor it in place.

Advantages of a dental implant:

• It looks and feels like your own tooth. It’s anchored in the jaw the same way your own teeth are.
• It doesn’t require grinding down the adjacent teeth. With a dental bridge, the teeth on either side have to be crowned in order to hold the replacement tooth in place, which means they have to be ground down. If these teeth are healthy, this seems like a shame.
• If it is done well and aesthetically, no one but your dentist will know that you have a false tooth.
• It is an asset to your confidence. The false tooth is well anchored and will not slip or come out. There is no risk of being caught without your teeth.
• When a tooth is extracted, your body tends to dissolve the bone that helped support that tooth. As a result, after years, your jawbone becomes sunken in at that location. If you are missing many teeth, this can even affect the appearance of your whole face. A dental implant will prevent that resorption.

Disadvantages of a dental implant:

• If the teeth next to the missing tooth already need crowns, there isn’t much advantage to the dental implant.
• Extra visits are usually required, and you have to see a specialist in addition to Downers Grove cosmetic dentist Dr. Karen Blair.
• Depending on the technique used, there can be a healing delay of several weeks before you get your replacement tooth. Ask Dr. Blair about the specifics for your situation.

Dental implants by Downers Grove cosmetic dentist Dr. Karen Blair.