As a Salem, Oregon cosmetic dentist, our team at Willis Dental wants patients to know that tooth loss isn’t the end of a great looking smile. Millions of people each year suffer from tooth loss in the U.S., due mostly to tooth decay, gum disease, or injury. For a long time, the only treatment options available to patients with missing teeth were dentures and bridges. Fortunately, with today’s modern advancements in dental care, dental implants are cheaper, more durable, and longer lasting than ever.
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants act as a replacement for tooth roots that have become too damaged to support a living tooth. Implants offer a strong foundation for permanent or removable replacement teeth that are designed to blend seamlessly into a patient’s natural smile.
Dental implants make an ideal treatment option for patients that need to replace one or more missing teeth, or who need an anchor to affix a dental bridge or dentures. If you are looking for the best Salem Oregon dental implants, please contact our office today!
The Advantages of Dental Implants
Dental implants offer patients a variety of advantages that include:
- A better looking smile. Dental implants look and feel just like your own natural teeth. And because implants are designed to fuse with the bone structure of your jaw, they become a permanent part of your smile.
- Improved speech. Patients with missing teeth or ill-fitting dentures often suffer from problems with mumbling or slurring their words. Dental implants, however, enable you to speak without the worry your teeth may slip or that you’ll have trouble producing certain sounds.
- Better comfort. Because dental implants become part of your mouth, they eliminate the discomfort caused by wearing removable dentures.
- Easier time eating. Ill-fitting dentures have a tendency to slid about, making chewing difficult. Dental implants act and look just like real teeth, enabling you to eat your favorite foods with confidence and without any discomfort.
- Improved self-esteem. It’s not uncommon for patients with missing teeth to feel self-conscious or insecure about the state of their smile. Dental implant can restore your smile back to health, allowing you to feel better and more confident in your appearance.
- Better oral health. Dental implants don’t require that our Salem, Oregon cosmetic dentist reshape or alter the size or appearance of neighboring teeth, as tooth-supporting bridges and dental veneers do. Because the nearby teeth are not altered to support the implant, more of your own teeth are left intact, improving your long-term oral health. Individual implants also make it easier to continue practicing quality oral hygiene such as brushing and flossing.
- Long–lasting durability. Advances in dental implant technology now ensure that implants are incredibly durable and that they will last for many years. In fact, with quality care, many implants can last a lifetime.
What is the Success Rate for Dental Implants?
The success rate for the placement of a dental implant varies, depending on where in the jaw the implant is placed. However, in most cases, dental implant success rate is around 98 percent.
Are Dental Implants for Everyone?
In the majority of cases, any patient healthy enough to undergo oral surgery or a routine dental extraction is a candidate for a dental implant. Patients need to have healthy gums and enough bone structure to hold the implant into position. They must also be willing to commit to practicing quality oral hygiene and to schedule regular exams and cleanings, such as what our Salem, Oregon cosmetic dentist at Willis Dental offers.