No one likes having a gap-toothed smile, but that’s exactly what you have when you’re missing a tooth. That empty space in your smile is hard to hide, and it can make an otherwise great smile look odd. Worse, your other teeth can grow crooked without the support of the tooth that went missing. You can even start to get TMJ disorder due to a bite that doesn’t close right anymore.
That’s why you need to call our Rochester, MN dental office today at 507-315-2932 and schedule a dental implant. This long-lasting treatment replaces a lost tooth with a durable but attractive replacement. Our Rochester dentists offer you several choices, such as traditional dental implants, mini implants, and All-on-4™ dental implants. This way, you can get the treatment you need.
What Are Dental Implants?
A dental implant is a modern way to replace a tooth. It comes with three parts:
- 1. A replacement tooth: This is really a dental crown. It’s made specifically for the gap in your smile. It looks and feels natural, and it’s durable just like your natural teeth.
- 2. An artificial root: Made from titanium, this mimics the roots found in your natural teeth. It’s also why your dental implant is as close to a real tooth as you can get.
- 3. An abutment: This connects the replacement tooth to the artificial root. This way, if that replacement ever gets damaged, you can get a new one without removing the implanted root.
The dental implant procedure is routine for our highly experienced Rochester dentists. First, the artificial root is surgically implanted in your jawbone. Once healed, you’ll get the abutment and replacement tooth connected to the implant. Then you walk out with a complete smile!
A Fortunate Accident
The idea of a dental implant to replace a lost tooth is an old one. Evidence suggests the Mayans used primitive dental implants made from crystals and even seashells. However, these has a major problem: They wouldn’t stay in the jaw.
That problem was solved accidentally by a scientist in the 1950s. He was researching how bone marrow worked, and he has implanted tiny titanium rods in a rabbit’s leg bone. After collecting his data, he went to remove the rods — but found they had fused with the bone. No metal does this.
Soon, dentists discovered the results and realized titanium would be the perfect material for dental implants because it would fuse with the jawbone.
Dental Implant Benefits For You
The biggest benefit from getting a dental implant is getting that lost tooth replaced. Your smile looks much better, and your other teeth should stay where they belong. But here are a few unexpected benefits from going with a dental implant from our Rochester dentists.
IMPROVED SELF-ESTEEM
Simply put, it’s embarrassing to smile when you have a missing tooth. That dark gap really stands out next to your white teeth. And when you know your smile doesn’t look very good, your confidence tends to go down.
But getting a dental implant from our Rochester dentists can fix that. Because your smile will look so much better, your confidence and self-esteem can improve.
STRONGER JAWBONE
When you chew, pressure travels down your teeth’s roots to stimulate your jawbone. This helps keep your bone healthy. So when you’ve lost a tooth, you’ve lost that stimulation. Your jawbone there can start to deteriorate.
Dental implants include replacements for roots as well as the teeth themselves. This means your jawbone can get the stimulation it needs to stay healthy and strong.
20 YEARS OF WORK
Nothing lasts forever, but you don’t want a dental restoration that will have to be redone in a few years. Since dental implants are the closest you can get to regrowing a lost tooth, they also tend to last the longest. It depends on a bit on how you take care of your teeth and gums, but your dental implant should last 20 years or longer. In fact, some people never have to get another restoration done.
Call us TODAY at 507-315-2932 or use our online form to schedule your next appointment for a dental implant. Our Rochester dentists have helped many people replace lost teeth with dental implant, mini implants, and the All-on-4 dental implants.