Patients with missing teeth may find the best tooth replacement solution in dental implants. This treatment can help enhance your smile’s appearance and restore oral functions that may have been negatively impacted after losing a tooth.
Dental implants can help the structure of your jawbone in the event of tooth loss as well. Dr. Dominic Roppa, a dentist in Rockledge, FL, describes how dental implants can improve your jawbone health.
What Happens to Jawbone After Tooth Loss?
In a healthy dental patient, natural teeth extend below the gumline to the jaw. The presence of the tooth root stimulates the bone in the jaw and keeps it strong.
When this tooth root is absent after a patient suffers tooth loss, the jawbone is no longer stimulated and begins to deteriorate. As the jawbone weakens, the patient may notice the appearance of facial sagging and shifting in their remaining teeth.
How Can Dental Implants Help My Jaw?
A dental implant consists of a titanium post that a dentist surgically places into the jaw. Once that heals, the dentist secures a prosthetic tooth to an abutment above the jawline attached to this post.
The post replaces the missing tooth root, and with resumed stimulation to the jaw, the bone ceases to deteriorate. This treatment can also encourage regeneration of bone that may have already been lost.
With dental implants, a patient can retain the structure of their face, fill gaps in their smile, and restore oral capabilities like eating and speaking. The treatment is permanent, so the patient can appreciate these benefits for a lifetime.
Can My Jaw Support Dental Implants?
In order to support dental implants, your jaw must have enough bone structure to serve as a solid foundation for the titanium posts. Your dentist can determine if your jaw is strong enough with X-ray imaging.
Your dentist may recommend a bone graft surgery to create more structure in your jaw to support dental implants once healed. Otherwise, they may suggest an alternative tooth replacement treatment.
Dental Implants and More in Rockledge, FL
Smile Viera offers dental implants and other restorative dental treatments to patients in Rockledge, FL. Dr. Roppa also specializes in cosmetic and general dentistry for patients of all ages. To schedule an appointment with us, contact our office online or reach us by phone at 321.614.3833.