You were born with 32 teeth, but if you’re like most people, you won’t make it past age 50 without losing a few due to injury or infection. But there’s no reason to live with missing teeth these days. There are more options than ever to close those gaps and live life normally.
Drs. Daza and Schwartz here at Bucktown Wicker Park Dental in Chicago are experts in the field of smile restoration. When it comes to reclaiming confidence through dental care, they are the specialists countless Chicagoans trust to address issues with eating, talking, smiling, and laughing. Come in for a consultation to learn how dental implants might be the best option for you.
The traditional choice for fixing missing teeth has been dentures. As you may know, dentures need to be removed daily and cleaned well to prevent infection. Some require a special solution for soaking and cleaning. Because they’re not permanent, dentures also need adhesive to keep them in place.
Dental implants, on the other hand, are permanent fixtures in your mouth. No slipping or shifting when you eat, and no soaking or messy adhesives required.
One of the most common complaints about temporary fixes, like dentures or bridges, is that they don’t look like real teeth. Worse — they don’t feel like real teeth. Because they are prosthetics, dentures and bridges aren’t an integral part of your mouth, but rather, an appliance inserted into your mouth.
Dental implants become part of your anatomy as the jawbone fuses to them over time. The advantage is that they can’t move around or fall out at inopportune moments, and you can eat anything you want with confidence. Our expert dentists match your implants to your natural tooth color, shape, and size, so you get a customized new tooth as functional and beautiful as your originals.
When you lose your teeth, that area of your jaw starts to deteriorate, and you may experience some bone loss.Your bone needs the stimulation from rooted teeth biting and chewing to keep it healthy and thriving. If you opt for dentures or a bridge to solve the gap in your mouth, you address the issue aesthetically, but you’re still at risk for losing bone in your jaw.
With dental implants, we place a small titanium post into your jawbone, which your body recognizes as a root. Once they bond together, it’s as if you never lost your tooth at all and your jawbone continues to thrive for years to come.
On average, dentures only last about 5-10 years, which means they may need to be relined or completely replaced several times throughout your life.
Dental implants are a lifelong solution to missing teeth. Depending on the health of your mouth and jawbone and the placement of your new teeth, dental implants have a long-term success rate of 98%, and you can expect them to last for the rest of your life.
If you have several teeth missing in a row, you may be a good candidate for the All-on-Four® treatment that replaces a full set of teeth with four angled posts. To find out which treatment is right for you, call our office today to schedule an appointment so you can get started on that new smile.
