Benefits of Dental Implants
To replace missing teeth there are a number of options available, including dental implants, bridges and dentures. The benefits of dental implants can meant the difference between living life, too embarassed to smile and being completely confident in your appearance. It can also make a huge difference to what you can eat and how you talk.
Dr. Saj Jivraj has a post-graduate specialty in Prosthodontics. A prosthodontist designs, constructs and afits replacement teeth, such as dental implants, crowns, bridges and dentures. In addition to his training as general dentist, Dr. Jivraj has several years of additional training, placing him a in a unique group of cosmetic specialists to which less than 2% of all US dentists belong. With over 17 years of experience in Implant Dentistry, he is uniquely qualified as a leading authority in his field.
Dental Implants versus other treatment options
The three most common types of tooth replacement are Implants, Bridges and Dentures.
Dental Implants: A dental implant is a tooth that looks, feels and functions like a natural tooth. It is a permanent fixture of titanium posts anchored to the jawbone and topped with individual replacement teeth or a bridge that screws or cements into the posts. Read more about Dental Implants here.
Bridge: A bridge is a dental restoration that spans an area with one or more missing teeth and is connected to natural teeth at each end. A typical bridge consists of a filler tooth that is attached to two surrounding crowns. After it is made, the bridge is bonded into the mouth.
Dentures:Dentures, partial or complete, replace either the bottom arch or the top arch of your mouth.
Advantages of Dental Implants include:
- Your mouth will be restored as closely as possible to its natural state
- Implants can prevent bone loss. The bone material doesn't deteriorate because the implant is there is keep it performing its function.
- Implants keep you looking younger by preventing shrinkage of jawbone
- Implants deter further tooth loss. When a bridge "goes bad", it usually means you have to lose one or more teeth that support the bridge
- You don't need to cut down adjacent teeth, which is a necessity in making a bridge
- Dentures only provide 5% or 10% of the pressure your natural teeth do, making it much harder to eat foods you love. With implants, you can eat normally, just as you would with regular teeth.
Fixed bridges and removable dentures are not the perfect solution for missing teeth and often bring with them a number of other problems. Removable dentures may slip or cause embarrassing clicking sounds while eating or speaking. Of even greater concern, fixed bridges often require the preparation (partial cutting) of healthy teeth to attach the bridge, and removable dentures may lead to bone loss in the area where the tooth or teeth are missing. With continuing decay and gum disease, fixed bridges and removable dentures usually need to be replaced every seven to 15 years, compared to an up to 25-30 year life span for dental implants.
New Patient Consultation
Call 805-351-4529 now to scheduled a consultation with Dr Jivraj and find out if you are a good candidate for Dental Implants. You can also request an appointment online.
