Dental Implants
Losing a tooth is often unavoidable, and one of those things that sometimes just happens. If you have never had a dental implant before, the concept and process may seem confusing and foreign.
Implants are quickly becoming the gold standard for tooth replacement, after being introduced to dentistry for the first time in the early 1980s. After experiencing tooth loss, the surrounding area of the jawbone will begin to resorb (shrink).
By integrating with the bone, dental implants will replace the natural forces that the teeth once had on the jawbone to help prevent bone resorption that will normally happen in a toothless scenario. Filling the gap to restore function and avoiding neighbouring teeth to over-erupt and “lean forward into the gap”, is essential.
We can make use of Implants, Bridges and Partial Dentures to replace teeth.
The Dental Implant Process
Think of a crown as a “cap” cemented onto an existing tooth. They can be made of porcelain, metal, or a combination of both. Full Porcelain crowns are preferred because they mimic the translucency of natural teeth. They are metal-free and strong.
Crowns are also likely needed after root canal treatment to protect the remaining tooth structure from breaking.
A veneer is a very thin, tooth-coloured piece of porcelain (like a false fingernail) that is bonded on top of your own tooth. Based on your needs, we can adjust the shape of your veneers to make your teeth look aesthetically better, and or closer together. You can have just one veneer or a whole set, known as a smile makeover.
For a single stained tooth we can also match the precise shade of porcelain to give it a lighter appearance and help it fit in with the surrounding teeth.
Veneers can also be used to close small gaps, when braces are not suitable. If one tooth is slightly out of position, a veneer can sometimes be fitted to bring it into line with the others.
Crowns are full cover porcelain restorations, used to replace or strengthen our own tooth structure. Crowns are most often used for teeth that are broken, worn, or have portions destroyed by tooth decay.