Making the decision to either fix or replace one or more of your damaged teeth can be confusing, followed by a choice that you have to live with for the rest of your life! Aside from appearance, your teeth play a crucial role in chewing and speaking, as well as shaping your facial structure.

While bridges and dentures used to be a common option for missing teeth, dental implants are gaining popularity as a new and long lasting teeth replacement alternative.

If dental implants are something you are thinking about, here are the pros of the procedure:

1. A healthy smile

Should the surgery go well, you will have a smile made out of strong, porcelain that is custom made for your mouth and resembles your natural teeth. Most dental implants are very natural looking and feel better, especially when eating, as opposed to dentures and bridges.

2. Firmly placed teeth 

Dental implants give you the peace of mind knowing that your teeth are firmly placed. Unlike dentures, which are removable, you can care for your implants like you would your natural teeth. This makes them easier to care for and makes them a more efficient way to replace missing teeth.

3. Keeps the bone from shrinking

If your tooth has to be removed, the dental implants aid in keeping the immediate bone area from shrinking. For those who need just one tooth replaced, when the adjoining teeth are in good condition, an implant can be used rather than a bridge, which consists of three crowns fused together.

With all surgical procedures, there are some things you should consider:

1. Dentist visits

We know visiting the dentist does not always make the list of top 10 things you would like to do during your day. Unfortunately, dental implants require monitoring and care, before and after they are fitted. This means that there should be a number of trips to the dentist and back.

2. Surgical Procedure

The procedure is a surgical one and though the pain may be moderate, there is still a chance of having bruising and swelling a few days after surgery.

3. Risk of infection

Like most surgeries, dental implants do carry a risk of infection if you do not take proper care of yourself. Although the success rate sits at 95 per cent, there is a risk of failure especially for those with poor hygiene, bad smoking habits or illnesses such as diabetes.

4. Healing time

After surgery you will be told to rest! To aid healing time, you may have to take time off work and daily activities to make sure you have a speedy recovery.

 

For advice on dental implants or to book a consultation, contact our friendly professionals today.

Don’t forget to share this via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon and Delicious.