When Dental Implants are the Best Option

Dental implants, although seemingly new to dental offices, are actually a very well established, tested, and effective option for replacing teeth. As any dentist will tell you, saving natural teeth is always preferable. In fact, the more of the tooth that can be saved, the better. However, situations do arise where a tooth cannot be saved. In these situations, when are dental implants the best option?

When a tooth or teeth are lost, the ideal treatment is always dental implants. While they carry with them greater costs and more initial time commitment to get them installed, their long-term value is always well beyond the alternatives. Here is a quick look at those other options and why implants are better.

Bridges
Bridges are good options for replacing one or a few adjoining teeth. But they require anchoring with crowns on neighboring teeth, requiring significant work on those healthy teeth. Implants avoid this problem.

Traditional Dentures
While dentures have come a long way, they rely on suction to stay in place, which can result in slippage. Using dental implants to anchor them into place provides unparalleled support with a natural feel.

Both of these other alternatives also have one problem that is unavoidable: loss of bone density. Not having a tooth rooted in the jaw causes the jaw to reabsorb the bone. This causes cratering and an unnatural looking appearance after years and decades without teeth. Implants mimic natural teeth and keep the jaw from doing this.

To learn more about the best times to use them, contact our expert in dental implants in Pasadena. some, convenience outweighs cost while others the reverse is true. Contact our office to learn more.