Do you have one or more of your teeth that are missing? Did you lose yours due to poor oral
hygiene, deep cavities, poor gum health or an injury? Whatever may be the reason for you losing
your tooth/teeth, the problems you have been facing because of your missing tooth/teeth remain
the same. Missing teeth in the front of your mouth affect your looks, confidence, speech and eating.
Missing back teeth lead to major problems with chewing well. Another issue is that missing teeth,
coupled with poor oral hygiene leads to excessive chewing forces on the remaining teeth and as a
result causes further damage to those teeth as well.
Replacement of missing teeth not only restores your functions of chewing, but also helps
with your speech and your confidence. Today there are various options available to replace your
missing teeth – Removable dentures, fixed bridges and dental implants. Of these, dental implants
are emerging as the number one choice in recent years as they are a long-term solution. Dental
implants are the closest option to replicate your missing teeth as they imbedded in your jawbone –
just like your natural teeth. Also, unlike removable dentures and fixed bridges, dental implants do
not affect neighbouring healthy teeth. With proper care and good oral hygiene, dental implants can
last a lifetime.
There are three stages involved in dental implants procedure. The first stage, which is the
surgical stage, involves the insertion of a medical grade titanium implant fixture into your jaw bone.
After an initial healing period, the second stage involves attachment of another component called an
abutment onto the implant. This abutment serves to fix the artificial tooth crown on the implant.
The final stage is the prosthetic stage and involves the fabrication and fixing of the artificial
tooth/teeth crowns onto the implants. This makes it clear that healthy jaw bone is important to
place dental implants; but even in areas of insufficient jaw bone, techniques like tilted implants,
pterygoid implants and zygoma implants have made it possible to replace the missing teeth. Thus
dental implants can replace all your missing teeth, while giving you multiple benefits, as listed
below:
1. Since dental implants are a fixed modality, there is no chance of your artificial teeth coming
out or moving while eating or laughing or speaking.
2. Dental implants are not dependant on surrounding teeth. Unlike dental bridges, they do not
require cutting of the adjacent teeth nor do they weaken the adjacent teeth over time.
3. Dental implants help preserve your jaw bone levels.
4. Eating is much more comfortable with dental implants as compared to removable dentures
or fixed bridges.
5. Dental implants look exactly like natural teeth and have great aesthetics. They are not bulky
like removable dentures.
Due to the above mentioned reasons, dental implants are the best available option to
replace missing teeth. And like all good things dental implants require a very meticulous
maintenance regime after the treatment. Your dentist will advise you on how to maintain excellent
oral hygiene so that your implants can last you a lifetime. Your dentist will help you make a decision
regarding the replacement of your missing teeth based on your overall health, your requirements,
your bone assessment and your budget.