Caring for your teeth requires consistency in your cleaning routine and regular visits to your dentist for checkups. However, you may still experience dental conditions stemming from undetected infections that cause teeth to become loose, fall off, or chip away. One of the remedies for these conditions is seeking dental implant treatment, especially when your dentist recommends it. Dental implants are special structures fitted in your jawbone to replace your natural tooth, and they provide vital solutions for patients seeking remedies after severe dental problems.
If you are unsure whether to consider dental implants, consult a professional to obtain more information on your condition and whether the treatment is suitable. Upon assessing your case and identifying the primary cause of your condition, your dentist may recommend dental implants as part of your treatment.
Signs that You Should Consider Dental Implant Treatment
Dental implant treatment is useful as a durable replacement for lost or unhealthy teeth. It involves removing your natural tooth and root and placing a metal screw in your jawbone as the root replacement. After securing the root implant, your dentist will place a crown to replace your enamel, the white visible part of your tooth.
With proper-fitting dental implants, you regain your teeth's functions to help you return to your everyday life. The implants and crowns are also replaceable in emergencies or injuries, allowing you to prolong usage.
While dental implants present multiple benefits for patients, you may need more information to decide whether to consider them for treatment. Your dentist is likely to recommend dental implants if you have experienced any of the following:
You Have Severe Tooth Decay
Tooth decay first manifests as cavities and then progresses to decay after prolonged exposure to bacteria. Decay mainly occurs when you consume sugary foods or beverages and maintain an inconsistent cleaning routine. Excess sugar between your teeth creates a suitable environment for harmful bacteria to grow and spread because they use sugar as their main energy source.
Bacteria threaten your tooth’s health by releasing harmful chemicals as waste after consuming sugar. The chemical causes corrosion and subsequently creates holes in the tooth, opening it up to infections and continuous bacteria spread.
You can identify tooth decay by checking for symptoms like recurrent pain, discoloration, and pain when chewing or biting. Advanced infections also create large holes around the enamel, making it difficult to chew.
When your dentist examines you and finds that your tooth decay has spread too far, they may recommend replacing it with a dental implant. They advise receiving dental implants because decay reduces tooth surface area, making it difficult to continue with proper tooth function. The implants thus replace the infected tooth and help you fully recover.
You Have Tooth Loss
Losing your teeth may result from injuries, especially if you involve yourself in high-impact sports. Alternatively, you may suffer tooth loss after a severe infection that erodes your enamel and reduces the surface area, weakening the tooth.
Tooth loss is also common for patients undergoing other treatment procedures for terminal diseases like cancer, and it is often a side effect of intensive medical interventions. Pregnant mothers are also at risk of losing teeth from a calcium deficiency because the baby takes up a lot of minerals during the developmental stages.
Regardless of the reason for losing teeth, your dentist can help you remedy the situation using dental implants. Replacing the missing tooth requires the dentist to remove the root if it is still intact and replace it with metallic dental implant screws. The crown placement then follows, giving you a restored look.
Dental Abscess
A dental abscess is an advanced tooth infection that results in pus pockets accumulating inside the tooth. You will likely suffer from an abscess if you have an undetected bacterial spread inside the tooth dentine, allowing it to settle and undermine healthy tooth parts.
The pus pockets in dental abscess cases are accumulated dead white blood cells that try to fight off the harmful bacteria to protect your tooth. Since the infection spreads faster, your white blood cells may be incapable of keeping up, causing them to die in large numbers.
Your dentist may recommend dental implants during treatment if the tooth surface is severely compromised. The condition is common if large pockets accumulate over time, making it difficult to recover full tooth function.
You can identify early dental abscess signs by checking if you have persistent bad breath even after brushing. Additionally, you have difficulty chewing or biting because of the pus pockets inside the tooth, which may interfere with your nerves. Upon noticing the symptoms, consider seeking dental care as soon as possible to help you receive prompt dental implant treatment.
Chipped or Broken Teeth
Chipped teeth are common among patients who engage in high-impact sports, especially if they lack proper protective gear. Similarly, you may chip your tooth when you subject it to unnecessary force when opening bottles, product bags, or other tightly sealed items. Lack of proper calcium intake is also a primary reason for chipping teeth, as the enamel is not strong enough to withstand external force.
You may also suffer a broken tooth from the circumstances mentioned above or after involvement in a serious accident. A broken tooth is more serious than a chipped tooth because it removes a significant part of the enamel and reduces functionality.
Both injuries may cause serious conditions because they expose your nerves and other sensitive internal tooth parts. Therefore, finding a remedy for them is essential to preventing bacterial entry and nerve damage complications.
If the chipped or broken tooth injury is severe, dental implants are a good, lasting solution to the problem. Replacing the broken tooth reduces your chances of recurrent tooth sensitivity and infections, making it easier to manage your oral health.
Gum Disease
Periodontal disease affects the gums and compromises their functioning. Your gums are significant in providing tooth support and nourishment, encompassing millions of small blood capillaries. The gum structure is also important for protecting tooth pockets, which cover and separate the inner tooth parts from the external enamel.
Suffering from gum infections directly impacts your teeth, as they are less likely to receive the support and nourishment they need. Consequently, you may experience loose teeth that eventually fall off. Other patients are at a higher risk of tooth infections if the bacteria attacking the gums spread into the tooth.
Upon seeking help, your dentist’s first step is to treat the gum disease to prevent complications that may affect your entire dental structure. After the gums recover, the dentist can install dental implants to replace lost or damaged teeth due to gum disease. Doing so allows you to enjoy proper tooth anchorage, especially if your natural teeth were loose for extended periods.
Loose Dentures
Patients are more prone to losing teeth as they age for different reasons, making them use dentures. Dentures are oral devices designed to replace natural teeth after experiencing significant tooth infection loss. Traditional dentures require you to wear them like a mouth guard, and they rely on light suction force to stick onto your gums.
While the design is useful, you will likely experience loose dentures, which may be inconvenient. The loose feeling may also reduce your ability to speak clearly because the dentures interfere with your tongue placement when speaking.
Dental implants are an excellent alternative to traditional dentures, as they provide a semi-permanent anchorage for your dentures. You can choose to have the implants secured at specific points on your jawbone to support the dentures or completely change to having dentures and crowns fitted for each tooth to restore your entire dental structure. Depending on your dental needs and finances, your dentist will walk you through the most suitable option.
Jawbone Infection
Your jawbone is also a living structure prone to infection if you have an untreated condition. A jawbone infection is a complication arising after delayed treatment for gum disease or tooth decay as bacteria spread into the jawbone from either the tooth root or gums. It may manifest as sharp pain extending deep into the affected tooth, indicating nerve exposure in the jawbone tissue.
You may also notice a change in your facial structure from jawbone loss as your jawline adapts to the spaces created by jawbone tissue deterioration. Identifying the early symptoms of jawbone infections is important to help you seek timely treatment and avoid additional problems.
Dental implants are beneficial if you have jawbone infections or tissue loss because they provide extra tooth support. Creating the support is important because it supplements jawbone function, which is currently compromised. Therefore, You should consult your dentist upon noticing possible jawbone loss or infection to begin implant placement procedures.
Advantages of Dental Implants
While dental procedures are available to remedy the above-mentioned conditions, dental implants present multiple benefits. You can expect your dentist to provide relevant information on all possible treatment options to help you make an informed decision. Nevertheless, they are still likely to recommend dental implants because of the advantages you will have.
Choosing dental implants over other treatment options is advantageous for various reasons, including:
You Regain Full Chewing and Biting Functions
Implants replace your natural tooth function with a more sturdy option that allows you to chew and bite properly. Many patients with past conditions that caused pain and tooth sensitivity appreciate this improvement, as it gives them independence and more food varieties that were previously limited.
You Avoid Inconvenient Denture Replacements
Since dentures are prone to being loose and interfering with speech, you can replace them with dental implants to give you more anchorage. Using implants is also advantageous because you are less likely to lose your denture sets after removing them, and you will ultimately avoid replacement costs.
Having your implants fitted in place of dentures can diversify your food options, as you do not have to worry about chewing hard foods or removing your dentures during specific meals.
You Replace Lost Teeth Permanently
Tooth loss can interfere with everyday life, reducing dental function and changing aesthetics. You may also suffer psychological holdbacks if the tooth loss drastically affects your looks, so replacing it with dental implants is highly advantageous.
Upon replacing the tooth, you enjoy more security because the dental implants are sturdy and permanent. This way, you can confidently eat hard foods and exercise your jaw without worrying about tooth loss.
You Regain Your Facial Structure
Jawbone loss often creates significant facial changes that may affect your confidence and overall well-being. The lost jawbone tissue may also trigger secure teeth to move, leaving you at risk of dental misalignment.
Having dental implants installed gives you better chances of your jawbone fully recovering. With time, you will also notice that the previously developed sunken face features correct themselves and restore your natural look. However, some patients may see delayed facial structure recovery, prompting them to seek additional dental procedures. If so, your dentist will help you schedule the process after assessing your case for some time.
Contact a Dentist Near Me
Dental conditions arise for various reasons, including injuries, infections, and tooth misalignments that create breeding grounds for bacteria. Knowing when to seek professional dental services is essential to your overall well-being, as you may have a chance to protect yourself from severe infections in the future. After consulting your dentist, they may recommend having dental implants fitted in your jawbone to rectify your condition and prevent future recurrence.
At Washington Dental, you have access to skilled and professional dentists with years of experience in dental implant treatment. We aim to help you identify and understand your condition and how dental implants can remedy it, so you are more empowered during recovery. Our team is also dedicated to helping you identify additional dental issues for your well-being, and our services are accessible to anyone considering dental implants in Carson, Los Angeles, Lomita and Torrance. For more information on when to consider dental implants, call us today at 310-217-1507.
