Dental Implants in Monroe NC
Do you currently have dentures, but are sick of messy denture adhesives and slippage? Are you enduring pain due to a broken or severely cracked tooth?
Maybe you’re wondering if dental implants would solve these problems for you?
No matter which situation you’re in, Dr. Leonard Hess at Union County Center for Comprehensive Dentistry in Monroe NC, would like you to be educated about dental implants — especially if implants can be a solution for your dental problems.
So please read on as we elaborate on 6 important warning signs that you may need dental implants.
1. You have a severely cracked tooth or a broken tooth.
If you have cracked or broken teeth, dental crowns or dental implants may be your only options. While dentists typically want to save as much of the tooth structure as possible, if the tooth is damaged beyond repair, a tooth extraction and an implant might be your best bet. If an implant is needed, it will be designed by your dentist to look and function just like your natural teeth.
2. You have lost one or more of your natural teeth.
Gaps in your smile where you are missing teeth can be unsightly and embarrassing, making you self-conscious about smiling, talking or eating in public. Your dental implant will fill in the space where your natural tooth once lived and it will look and feel natural too.
3. Your partials and dentures are loose-fitting.
Loose-fitting dentures or partials can be embarrassing and frustrating to deal with on a daily basis. Implants are an excellent alternative to dentures and partials as they are permanently attached with no slippage possible. You no longer have to worry about your dentures loosening throughout the day, that they will fall out in public while talking or eating.
4. You are beginning to lose bone tissue (in the jaw area).
Did you know that dental implants actually prevent the loss of bone tissue in your jaw? The part of the implant that gets embedded in the socket of the jawbone and acts as the artificial tooth root is made of titanium or zirconium. These materials naturally bond to the bone tissue in a process called osseointegration. This enables the implant roots to stimulate jaw bone growth just like the natural tooth roots would, decreasing the chance of the bone deteriorating over time.
5. Your face has a sunken-in appearance.
Have you ever notice the sunken-in or caved-in look that some denture-wearers seem to have in their lower face? This is a common problem for patients who wear dentures due to the loss of bone as you age. Because dentures do not stimulate bone growth as implants do, the bone continues to erode over time, resulting in the sunken-in, caved-in appearance. Dental implants address this problem by stimulating jaw bone growth around the implant (See #4 above for details).
6. You have a tooth that cannot be saved.
Sometimes a severely decayed or infected tooth cannot be saved or fixed by traditional means such as fillings or root canal therapy. Your dentist will thoroughly examine you and make this determination. If the faulty tooth cannot be repaired or fixed, you may need to have it extracted. If this is the case a dental implant might be the best option to replace it.
Schedule a Dental Exam
Live in or near Monroe NC? Call Union County Center for Comprehensive Dentistry at 704-240-5045 for an implants consultation with Dr. Hess or schedule with us online. We look forward to helping you restore your smile!