Are Dental Implants Worth It?

While dental implants may come with a higher price tag than the initial cost of getting a bridge or partial denture, it’s important to compare this initial investment with the long term care required for other restorations. In addition, patients considering semi-permanent or removable restorations should also examine the overall health implications of tooth restoration alternatives.

Replacing Worn Appliances

Bridges and dentures are replacement teeth that are not completely permanent. While bridges are bonded in place, they are secured to surrounding teeth with dental cement and are prone to breakage and damage over their lifetime. Repairing a broken bridge usually involves replacing the entire unit, which incurs added cost. While bridges may last a while with proper care, they are not life-long restorations and will, at some point, require replacement.

Damaged full dentures can often be repaired by a dental lab, but broken partial dentures would need to be replaced in full in order to ensure comfort and aesthetic. Breaking or damaging part of an implant-supported prosthetic does not mean that both the replacement teeth and the implant need to be repaired, thereby limiting cost for restorative care.

Effect on Oral Health

While bridges and dentures can give patients the appearance of a full and healthy smile, they can sometimes put you at elevated risk for other oral health issues, such as furthered tooth decay, shrinking gum tissue, shifting teeth, or cracked and broken teeth.

Instead, dental implants foster improved oral health through protecting healthy bone volume and not resting on, or negatively affecting, surrounding teeth and tissue.

Longevity of Comfort and Aesthetic

Over time, and as they age, bridges may look less natural – especially if the restoration has a metal base coated in tooth-colored material. Dentures may become loose and fit poorly as gum tissue shrinks, requiring routine readjustment to ensure comfortable fit.

Because implant dentures, bridges, and single crowns are supported by replacement tooth roots, they will feel, look, and act like your own natural teeth. They do not rest on or cause irritation to soft tissue, and because many of our implant restorations are pure porcelain, they will look highly similar to your real teeth.

Dental implants should be considered an investment in your health, wellness, and the appearance of your smile. If you have questions about whether implants will work for you, please call our Campbell implant dentist for more information.

How to Choose an Implant Dentist

Getting dental implants to restore one or more missing teeth can change your life for the better, but picking the right dentist to do the work is an essential first step. Choosing a skilled implant dentist—someone you trust and can feel comfortable with—provides reassurance to feel good about getting dental implants.

Placing and restoring dental implants is a specialized procedure, and it makes good sense, both for your peace of mind and for your oral health, to choose a dentist who has experience to do a great job. Many dentists are capable of placing dental implants; however, not all of them have the skills or technology to ensure ideal placement and best final treatment outcomes.

There are several questions you can ask an implant dentist to find out if they’ll be a good fit for your needs.

• How long has the implant dentist been practicing and how many implant procedures have they performed?
• Can they provide before and after photos of other patients they have treated?
• What technology do they use to improve the implant procedure? Examples digital imaging or guided implant surgery. 
• Do they provide sedation dentistry services, if needed? Sedation can make the implant procedure much for anxious patients. If you’re typically worried or anxious about visiting the dentist, this might be high on your list of priorities.

Finding the exact right position for surgical placement of your dental implant is an important part of the treatment process and helps your implant last for a lifetime – and something that only the right dentist can accomplish.

Hughes Dental Group is home to dental specialists with decades of experience providing quality dental care. We’ve helped many patients in achieving whole new smiles that are both healthy and beautiful. Our dental team is committed to staying up-to-date on all advancements in the field of dentistry to ensure that your implant treatment is successful.

If you have questions about dental implants, or would like to ask any of our implant dentists the above questions, contact our office to schedule your consultation.