Signs It's Time to Consider Dental Implants

Prathima Rasamsetty, DDS offers a variety of restoration options here in our San Antonio, Texas, office, including dental implants. 

Here are five indications that it’s time to consider dental implants, courtesy of the team here at Preva Dental.

1. You have missing teeth

Over 120 million Americans are missing at least one tooth, and 36 million are missing all of their teeth. Whether you’re missing one tooth or many teeth, missing a tooth is the most obvious reason to consider dental implants. Missing teeth can be the result of injury, severe decay, or gum disease. Regardless of what led to the tooth loss, missing teeth are notorious for causing low self-esteem and embarrassment. Missing teeth can also make it hard to chew food thoroughly or speak clearly.

Dental implants restore the functionality of your mouth and replace your missing teeth, but they also address the embarrassment caused by missing teeth. Even better, dental implants can replace a single tooth, but they can also support full rows of teeth. These are called implant-supported bridges or denture-supported implants.

2. You’re not happy with your dentures

Dentures are removable and convenient prosthetic appliances, but they’re not always the easiest type of restoration. For example, if they’re not adjusted quite right, they can create issues such as blisters. Ill-fitting dentures can also make it hard to chew if they shift out of place or become loose.

Dentures require more daily maintenance, with applications of dental adhesive and nightly soaking. On the other hand, dental implants are permanently secured so you won’t ever have to mess with messy adhesive or nightly soaking. You can care for your implants as you would your natural teeth: brushing twice a day and flossing regularly. 

3. You’ve just had a tooth extraction

Maybe you’ve had a missing tooth for months or even years. Or, maybe you’ve just had one extracted. Dr. Rasamsetty always tries to preserve infected teeth, but unfortunately, severe infections may require an extraction.

Dental implants can restore your tooth while providing the same feel and function as your natural tooth. 

4. Your facial structure is starting to change

Normally, your tooth roots stimulate your jaw bone so it keeps growing. If your tooth is removed, the roots can no longer stimulate the jaw bone. Over time, this can lead to jaw bone atrophy (or simply, bone loss). 

Over time, bone loss impacts your facial structure, creating a more sunken appearance. While dentures don’t stimulate your jaw bone (and therefore won’t prevent jaw bone atrophy), dental implants do prevent jaw bone loss. 

You might consider dental implants to help prevent changes to your facial structure. Additionally, closing a gap with dental implants stops your remaining teeth from shifting out of place.

5. You have a severely damaged tooth

In many cases, our team repairs cracked, decayed, or otherwise damaged teeth with fillings, bonding, or crowns, but in the case of severe damage 一 especially cases in which damage extends beyond the gingival line and has damaged your pulp 一 it’s better to extract your tooth and replace it with an implant. 

Get started with dental implants in San Antonio 

Are you considering a dental implant? Dental implants are a durable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing option when it comes to replacing missing teeth. Before getting started with the dental implant process, we examine your mouth, review your aesthetic goals, and analyze any X-rays to assess your jaw bone health. Your treatment plan is then customized based on the number of teeth you need to place and if you need any other procedures, such as bone grafts or sinus lifts. 

Dr. Rasamsetty and our team at Preva Dental are here to answer your questions about dental implants. Give us a call or book your dental implant consultation online.