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Dental Implants Can Make A Big Difference For You

Dental Implants 1 Midlothian, VA Dentist | Biggers Family Dentistry

You may have heard about dental implants , but you may not know what they are. You may know what they are, but you may not understand how they make your teeth replacements better.

In today’s post, we will be discussing how implants can help you do more than just give you a pretty smile again. Implants can give you a healthy smile for the rest of your life.

Implants are an integral part of the restorative dentistry that we offer our patients in and around Midlothian, VA.

To see and feel the difference implants could make in your quality of life, call (804) 621-2199 or contact us online to make an appointment at Biggers Family Dentistry.

 

How Implants Were Developed

Modern dental implants have an interesting origin story. A Swedish physician, Dr. Per-Ingvar Brånemark, was doing research on blood circulation in rabbits in the 1950s.

As part of his study, he placed titanium cylinders into the rabbit’s leg bones. His intent was to reuse the cylinders throughout his study. Instead, he discovered something unexpected when he went to remove them.

The rabbits’ bones had fused with the titanium. He even coined a term for this — osseointegration — and it led him to change the focus of his research. In 1965, that paid off when he placed the first set of modern implants into a human patient.

These implants replaced the roots of the man’s missing teeth, and they supported the replacements for the crowns of the teeth.

Today, people have built on Dr. Brånemark’s work to develop better dental implants to serve as prosthetic roots for missing teeth. Implants help to make teeth replacements secure, stable, and strong.

 

It’s About More Than Just Your Smile

Losing teeth can be a traumatic experience for anyone, and it can happen for a variety of reasons. Regardless of the cause, the effects can be both physical and emotional.

Let’s start with the emotional impact. When you are missing teeth, you may become self-conscious. You know that your smile looks worse because of the teeth you are missing.

You will likely be aware that your missing teeth change the way you speak as well. Most people don’t think about teeth affecting how they talk … until those teeth are gone.

That too can add to the embarrassment that some people feel after losing one or more teeth.

Last but certainly not least, losing your teeth makes it more difficult to eat. A single lost tooth may not be as troublesome as losing all your teeth, but a single tooth can lead to more tooth loss if it isn’t replaced.

The good news is that you can address all the concerns mentioned above by getting a dental implant or implants as part of your teeth replacements.

Implants help fill the empty space.

A dental implant can be used to support a dental crown if you are missing one tooth, and multiple implants can be used to support a dental bridge or dentures if you need to replace multiple teeth or a row of teeth.

Implants can help you speak naturally again.

When you have your implant-supported teeth replacements, they will feel and function like your natural teeth. This can help you speak like you did before your teeth were lost.

Implants allow you to eat all the foods that you want to eat.

This is true for any implant-supported teeth replacement, but it’s best illustrated with dentures.

If you have traditional dentures or know someone who does, then you may be familiar with the frustrations that come with trying to eat with them. Since traditional dentures rest outside your gums, they can get pushed or pulled out of position, which makes it more difficult to bite and chew. Denture adhesives can help temporarily, but the adhesives also can interfere with the taste of your food.

Research has proven that patients with implant-supported dentures have nearly as much bite force as someone with a full set of healthy teeth. In other words, you can eat what you want and you can eat it comfortably when you have implant-supported dentures.

 

But They Will Help Your Smile Too

When you are getting dental implants, you are adding support for your dental crown, bridge, or dentures. That makes your new smile more likely to last for years to come.

We’ve only touched on some of the benefits of dental implants in today’s post. If you have more questions, contact Biggers Family Dentistry by calling (804) 621-2199 or by filling out our online contact form .

Find out for yourself how implants can help you.