Why Dental Implants Are The Best Option for Missing Teeth

How your dentist can give you back your smile

Your smile is one of the first things that other people notice about you. So, when you have a broken, damaged, or missing tooth, it can make you feel self-conscious and embarrassed. Your dentist can do a lot to save a damaged tooth, but sometimes the damage is just too severe, and the tooth needs to come out. And when that happens, dental implants may be your best option.

Why Dental Implants are Important

If you have a missing or broken tooth it can be tempting to just ignore the gap and go on with your life. But doing this will only create more problems. Your teeth are more like a single unit than individual pieces, and when one is missing it can cause lots of problems that will threaten your oral health and send you to your after hours dentist.

 When a tooth is missing, the bone around the socket starts to dissolve. This can cause the surrounding teeth to collapse towards the gap, pulling them out of alignment. The resulting bone loss in the jaw can also change the shape of your face and cause problems with the joint in your jaw. It may also result in tooth decay or gum disease because the change in the alignment of your teeth may make it hard for you to brush all the surfaces properly. All of these problems could have you racing to your after hours dentist for emergency procedures on a regular basis, and nobody wants that.

Your Dental Implant Options

There are several different options when it comes to dental implants depending on the condition of your mouth and teeth. This means that your dentist can help no matter what condition your mouth is in. For dental implants to work, you need to have strong, thick bone under the site to hold the implant. If your bone is too thin, your dentist will need to do a bone graft before the implant surgery to encourage new growth. That’s why you shouldn’t wait too long after you lose a tooth or teeth to have the procedure done, because otherwise it will mean more problems.

 Dental implants do more than replace your teeth. They also integrate with the jaw bone and encourage it to grow. So basically, they replace your tooth or teeth and keep your jaw and remaining teeth strong and growing in the right direction!

Here are your dental implant options and what they’re used for:

Single Tooth Implant

If you have a single tooth missing, then your dentist will recommend this procedure. During the procedure a titanium rod is inserted into the jaw bone and acts as an anchor for the new porcelain tooth. The new tooth will look and feel like the old one, but it won’t decay so you shouldn’t have problems with it ever again.

 Multiple Tooth Implant

This procedure is used to replace more than one missing tooth in the same area of the mouth. The implants are placed in the jaw, as with a single tooth implant, and allowed to heal. During this stage you will be given temporary teeth to protect the healing area. Once the site has healed, replacement teeth or bridges are placed over the implants. The details of these procedures will change depending on the condition of your mouth, so talk to your dentist for more information.

 Full Mouth Implants

If all your teeth are missing or damaged, then your dentist will probably recommend full mouth implants. These implants can replace your teeth without relying on any natural teeth for support. If you’ve struggled with your teeth for a long time, these are the best option as they will look, feel and function just like real teeth. During this procedure your dentist will place implants all along the jaw and allow them to heal. And after they’ve healed, the replacement teeth can be put into place.

Payment Plans

If you need to get dental implants to replace a tooth or teeth, you’re probably worried about the expense. These are complicated procedures that usually require several visits to the dentist, and that means that they can be expensive. But when you have your dental implants put in by Emergency Dentist Sydney, you can take advantage of our payment plans to get your procedure done now. This will help you avoid complications from your missing teeth. Here are some of the features of our payment plans:

•  Interest free.

• Manageable fortnightly payments spread over 15 months.

• Available for treatments up to $9,000

So, don’t delay, because your oral health could depend on it. If you have missing or damaged teeth, talk to our staff today about our dental implant procedures.

---

Emergency Dentist Sydney Says:

If you have a dental emergency, contact our Emergency Dentist in Sydney. Our caring and expert staff are available 24 hours a day to help you with all your emergency dental needs.

Dental Implants

A Basic Guide to Replacing Your Tooth

Dental implants are an effective treatment for cracked or broken teeth. It is a great option for people who have damaged a tooth due to sudden accidents or who have lost teeth due to decay and disease. Here’s everything you need to know if you are in need of a replacement tooth or teeth.

---

What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are a permanent solution for badly damaged teeth. If you decide to get them or if your dentist suggests this treatment, the first step is to remove your broken teeth roots and replace them with metal posts. They are artificial roots made with strong and long-lasting materials. This procedure is the same whether you’re getting one tooth replaced or all of them. These metal posts can be cylindrical or can be a screw. Once your mouth has healed around these new structures, your dentist can attach brand new teeth to the metal foundation. Dental implants require several treatments, but once they’re in, they feel and look just like normal teeth.

What are the Advantages of Dental Implants?

The main advantage of dental implants is that it creates the most natural as well as durable solution to your missing tooth. They are designed to look like your original teeth. Dental implants also replace loose dentures and partial plates that look fake, fall out, and can be painful to wear. They’re extremely sturdy, and although they can decay if you don’t take care of them, they’re stronger than natural teeth. Getting dental implants will not only improve the look and feel of your mouth, it will also improve your ability to eat because when you have broken teeth, it is difficult to eat and your diet becomes restricted. The end result of dental implant procedures will make it feel like your natural teeth.
 

The Importance of Avoiding Bone Loss

When you have missing teeth, the bone around the removed tooth root gets partially absorbed into your body. This causes the jaw bone to become thin and weak, causing various problems for your oral health and for your appearance. If you have bone loss, you may need to build up the bone again with a bone grafting procedure and then be able to have dental implants. Your teeth may also become crooked and uneven, because the bone beneath them is uneven. And in the worst cases, the lower third of the face can actually collapse inwards because there isn’t enough bone to support it anymore.

Dental implants can help you avoid this problem as they will protect and strengthen your jaw bone. The screw that is placed into the bone protects the bone from being absorbed by the body. The screw also integrates into the bone, strengthening it and protecting it from future damage. 
 

Single Tooth Implant

A single tooth implant replaces a single missing tooth as well as its root. This is a good procedure to have if you’re missing a single tooth and want to avoid having a gap in your smile, or repair your bite. It has several advantages over other replacement options such as a bridge, which damages the health of your surrounding teeth because they need to be ground down to fit with the new dental work.

Multiple Teeth Implants

Multiple teeth implants are for replacing several missing teeth and their roots. Other replacement options require support from adjacent teeth, which can cause wear and damage and even result in the support teeth themselves becoming loose. But multiple teeth implants don’t require any support, they look and function just like real teeth.

Full Mouth Implants

Full mouth implants are best if you need all of your teeth replaced because of decay or damage. With this procedure, all of your remaining teeth and their roots are removed before the screws are placed into your jaw. While they heal, temporary teeth can be worn. Once your mouth has healed, new teeth are fixed into place using small metal bars. Once the teeth are in place, you can’t see any of the metal work, and you can show off your great new smile.

---

Emergency Dentist Sydney Says:

If your teeth are cracked or broken, call us immediately and book an appointment. We are here to help you find the best treatment for your damaged teeth. 

Dental Implants for Sleep Apnea Sufferers

Are Dental Implants the Wrong Choice for Sleep Apnea Sufferers? 

It's probably fair to say that no-one ever aspires to end up wearing dentures. In fact, avoidance of them is one of the biggest reasons that some people finally get a little more serious about looking after the teeth they have. Sometimes however the damage is unavoidable. This can be especially true for people who suffer from sleep apnea, as one of the complications that often comes along with that bothersome condition is something called sleep bruxism.

---

What is Sleep Bruxism?

Sleep bruxism is the 'proper' term for the sleep disorder involving the habit of clenching and grinding your teeth as you sleep. Although it can be a standalone condition many people who do grind their teeth also suffer from other sleep disorders like snoring and sleep apnea, a condition which causes pauses in breathing.

If a person does grind their teeth at night sadly, over the years, it can cause significant damage to the teeth, sometimes so much so that a tooth is damaged beyond repair, which is why it's not uncommon for those who suffer from sleep bruxism to end up needing partial dentures, or as is becoming more common, a dental implant.

Sleep Bruxism and Dental Implants

As an alternative to dentures or partial dentures, dental implants are quickly gaining popularity, and for lots of good reasons. Implants are permanent replacements, look more natural than even the best dentures and, obviously, make it easier to eat, drink, and smile with confidence than dentures might. They also seem like they would be the perfect solution for those who lose teeth due to sleep bruxism, but some recent studies have found that may not be the case.

Researchers from OSI Araba University Hospital in Victoria, Spain were conducting a study to determine if the most common form of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, affected the proper function and longevity of dental implants. They worked with a group of 67 people, some of whom had been diagnosed with OSA and some who had not. Of the 16 people in the study who eventually experienced complications with their dental implants 13 also suffered from obstructive sleep apnea, seeming to indicate that the damage to the implants might be directly related to OSA.

Implants, Sleep Apnea and Your Dentist

It should be noted that the study we have just mentioned was a small one and that more work needs to be done before assuming that for those who suffer from OSA dental implants are not the right solution for them.

When dealing with sleep bruxism, sleep apnea and trying to prevent possible tooth damage before dental implants are ever needed it's common wisdom that patients should work with both their doctor and their dentist to come up with a proper treatment and dental health plan. This allows patients to receive the best possible care to address both conditions.

With the right treatments, sleep apnea can be improved, and the same is true of sleep bruxism, and since the latter is considered a dental disorder it's your dentist who can help you out there. See them early enough and dental implants may never have to even become a consideration, something that we think you'd agree is the best possible outcome all around.

---

The Emergency Dentist Says:

The best way to deal with the possible dental complications that sleep apnea and sleep bruxism can cause, including the need for dental implants, is to speak to your dentist about it. Once you do that a proper treatment plan, one that may very well save your teeth altogether, allowing to keep your natural smile.