Single Tooth Implant Chandler, AZ
If you have recently lost a tooth due to trauma or disease, you may want to look into resources for a replacement tooth to restore your smile. A single-tooth implant in Chandler, AZ, is one way to replace your missing tooth.
Our surgeons are happy to provide more information about our single-tooth replacement and single-dental implant procedures.
Why Did I Lose a Tooth?
Before you begin to mourn your missing tooth, you need to understand that you are not alone. Nearly 70 percent of all adults in the United States have lost at least one tooth.
People who lose a single tooth in the back of their mouths do not worry as much about losing one as they are about losing one closer to the front of their mouths.
People lose their teeth for several reasons.
One of the most common reasons you may have a missing tooth is because it is a wisdom tooth, and a dentist needed to remove it because it was causing you pain.
People lose their teeth most frequently due to preventable diseases, primarily periodontal disease and cavities.
When you have advanced tooth decay, our surgeons may try to save your tooth, but once the tooth has a severe infection, saving the tooth may be too difficult.
Advanced gum disease can also cause you to lose a tooth due to gum infection and deteriorating gum tissue.
What Are Implants?
Dental implants were created by dentists to mimic a natural tooth as closely as possible.
One reason dentures and bridges are not always successful with patients is that neither are attached to the jawbone in the same way that natural teeth are.
All of your natural teeth are connected from your tooth root through your gum tissue and into your jawbone, which gives your mouth lots of strength and support.
Both dentures and bridges sit on top of your gum tissue rather than connect to your jawbone.
Nearly all dental implants have three parts. The implant post, which is usually made of a strong, light metal, is attached to your jawbone.
Next, the abutment attaches the implant base to your prosthetic tooth.
Benefits of Single-Tooth Implants
Dental implants have several benefits. One of the best benefits of single-tooth implants is that replacing a tooth allows all of your remaining teeth to remain in place. This is important because once you lose a permanent tooth, your remaining teeth will shift their locations to fill the space.
Not only will your tooth shift around, but your jawbone may gradually weaken in the area where your tooth used to be because the body removes bone tissue to use elsewhere.
If you lost a tooth toward the front of your mouth, replacing that missing tooth means you will not need to be embarrassed about smiling, laughing, or posing for photos.
Dental implants look so much like real teeth no one will know they are not real except you.
What Happens During a Single-Tooth Implant Procedure?
There are a couple of steps our office has to complete before your single-tooth implant procedure can begin.
The first step in the dental implant process is to make sure that you are a good candidate for a single-tooth implant. Dental implants are great, but not everyone will be able to support an implant.
If you use tobacco, you need to quit before we will consider you for an implant. If you have active gum disease, you should treat it before you receive an implant because of the risk of implant failure.
People with certain chronic diseases also may not be able to get an implant. Our surgeons will then need to determine if you have enough bone tissue in your jawbone to support an implant.
If your jawbone is weaker than our surgeons would like it to be, you may need a bone graft so that new jawbone tissue can grow before the implant process can begin.
If your jawbone has plenty of bone tissue, our surgeons make an incision in your gum tissue to reach your jawbone.
Next, our surgeons drill a hole into your jawbone to place the dental implant post in it. Then, they will place sutures or a membrane on the incision to help speed healing.
You will need between four and six months of healing time so your jawbone will grow new bone tissue around the implant post. When your jawbone has healed, our surgeons will be able to add the abutment to connect the implant to your prosthetic tooth.
Care for Single-Tooth Implants
Once your mouth heals after your procedure, you will need to make sure you take care of your dental implant so that it will last for decades.
First, brush your prosthetic tooth with anti-abrasive toothpaste so that you will not wear out your porcelain prosthetic tooth. You can use the same toothpaste on both your natural teeth and your dental implant if it is non-abrasive.
Also, be sure to brush all of your teeth with a soft toothbrush. You should brush your teeth, both natural and implanted, for two minutes twice each day.
Flossing can be tricky with an implant because you need to make sure that you floss underneath it as well. You may want to think about a water flosser for your teeth as well as your implant.
Water flossers use a jet of water rather than a string to get any trapped food particles and plaque from your teeth as well as underneath your implant.
Your implant can perform about as well as your natural teeth, with a couple of exceptions.
Be sure that you do not use your implant to chew excessively sticky foods, such as caramels or gum because you might displace your implant.
Cut hard foods such as apples into pieces to eat them. Your new single-tooth implant can last throughout your life with proper care.
If you are thinking about getting dental implants, arrange to see us at Scholes Periodontics & Implants.
We will be happy to create an appointment for you with our surgeons. Reach out to our office today at (480) 786-0940 for a time and date for your consultation!