5 Reasons Dental Implants are Superior to Other Tooth Replacement Options

If you’ve lost a tooth, you might be wondering about the best way to replace it. While you have several tooth replacement options — including dentures and bridges — dental implants stand out as the superior choice.

Take a moment as Dr. Ed Trizzino and the Smiles of Atlanta team share five reasons dental implants are the best tooth replacement option.

1. Dental implants are sturdy

Dental implants are designed to be a permanent restoration. Unlike dentures, which you may need to have replaced or realigned every few years as your jaw changes, dental implants can last a lifetime with proper care.

Made from durable materials like titanium, implants integrate (fuse) with your jawbone in a process called osseointegration. Because the implant is embedded into the jawbone, you can count on it to be a stable, durable restoration.

2. Dental implants look good

Your dental implant is topped with a custom-made porcelain crown that matches the color, shape, and size of your natural teeth, so it blends in seamlessly with the rest of your natural teeth.

3. Dental implants prevent jawbone atrophy

Your tooth roots naturally stimulate your jawbone to grow, but when you lose a tooth, you lose that root as well. As a result, the bone in your jaw can begin to deteriorate over time due to lack of stimulation.

Known as jawbone atrophy, it’s what causes a sunken appearance in edentulous (toothless) people.

Dental implants prevent this bone loss by mimicking a natural tooth root. This not only preserves your facial structure but also prevents further dental issues that are related to bone loss.

4. Dental implants don’t impact your remaining natural teeth

Traditional tooth replacement options like bridges often require altering adjacent healthy teeth to support the replacement tooth. For example, the teeth on each side of a missing tooth need a crown to support the pontic — the prosthetic tooth in a traditional dental bridge and a cantilever bridge.

Dental implants, on the other hand, don’t affect your surrounding teeth. Instead of relying on a crown of an adjacent tooth, your dental implant needs only its post for support.

5. Dental implants are versatile

Whether you’re missing one tooth or several, implants can help restore your smile. Dr. Trizzino offers hybrid dentures — a restoration that delivers the coverage of dentures while it’s supported by dental implants.

Benefits of choosing dental implants

Dental implants make it easier to maintain proper oral hygiene because you can brush and floss them just like your natural teeth. That’s just one of the many benefits of dental implants. Others include:

Preventing alignment issues from shifting teeth
Restoring clear speech
Restoring your ability to eat your favorite foods (and chew them thoroughly!)
Boosting your self-esteem

As a bonus, you won’t have to worry about soaking traditional dentures or applying messy denture adhesive.

Are dental implants right for you?

Dr. Trizzino offers several types of dental implants, including root-form implants (the most common type), plate-form implants (ideal if you have a narrow jaw), subperiosteal implants (which sit on your bone), and of course, implants used for hybrid dentures.

When determining which option is right for you, Dr. Trizzino considers: