If you have missing teeth, you may feel self-conscious when smiling or find yourself covering your mouth when laughing. Your missing teeth may also interfere with your oral health, making it challenging to clean your mouth thoroughly or limiting your choice of food.
If you’re researching how to replace missing teeth, you’ve probably come across several options, including dentures and dental implants. While dentures cost less initially, you’ll need to replace them every five to seven years and pay for special cleaning solutions and adhesives. Dental implants however are permanent, although you may need to replace the crown after 25 years.
How to Replace Missing Teeth?
Replacing missing teeth with dental implants may seem like a daunting process. Although the total procedure can take some time, it’s streamlined, and your dentist will ensure your comfort and safety throughout.
The dental implants process involves two surgeries and several follow up appointments. First, you’ll have an initial consultation with your dentist to determine if you are a candidate for dental implants. Your dentist will check to see that you don’t have any pre-existing conditions, like immune disorders or gum disease, that need to be treated first. They will also ask you to stop smoking if possible and commit to brushing, flossing, and regularly using a mouthwash.
Your dentist will also need to ensure that your jaw has enough density to support the dental implants. You may require a bone graft before your dental implant surgery. You will need to wait until you’ve completely healed before starting the dental implant process. This may take between four to six months.
Choose The Best Option
Once your dentist gives you the go-ahead for dental implants, they’ll help decide whether you need standard implants, mini dental implants, or All-on-Four to replace your missing teeth.
The size of the gap in your smile primarily determines the type of implants your dentist recommends.
Standard Dental Implant
A standard dental implant is a tiny titanium screw that sits directly in your jawbone. During the first surgery, your dentist makes a small incision in your gum and jawbone, then places the dental implant. They’ll then close and clean the wound. You’ll need to recover for about two weeks, avoiding certain foods and energetic exercise.
You may need to wait up to eight months for a process called osseointegration, where the implant and your jawbone fuse. Once the implant is stable, your dentist will perform a second surgery to connect the abutment, a small hook, to your implant. Several weeks later, you’ll have an appointment to design your custom crown.
We offer CEREC crowns created in our on-site lab using state-of-the-art CAD/CAM technology. After it’s ready, your dentist will fit it, and you will have a complete smile.
Mini Implant
If you want to use removable dentures, Glebe Dental Group recommends mini dental implants. Like the standard ones, these are made of titanium but are much smaller and have a rounded head. An O-ring inside the denture attachment snaps over the rounded abutment for a secure fit while also allowing you to remove the denture when necessary for oral hygiene.
All-on-4
If you need to replace a whole arch of teeth, you can choose to use the All-on-4, which uses four dental implants as an anchor for a complete set of fixed dentures, and requires no bone grafting.
Contact Us
If you’re considering replacing missing teeth, dental implants may be your best option. Give Glebe Dental Group a call on (02) 9159 6816 to learn more about how to replace missing teeth and schedule an initial appointment.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
Recent Comments