5 Signs You May Need Dental Implants

Are you fed up with dealing with the messy adhesives and slippage that come with dentures? Or maybe you are suffering from pain from a broken or severely cracked tooth? Do you find yourself afraid to smile like you want to because you’re missing teeth?

No matter which of the above describes you, Dr. Ray Becker at Howard County Smiles in Columbia, MD, would like you to take a few moments to tell you about dental implants.

They might just be a solution to your dental problems. So join us as we list the 5 signs that you may need dental implants.

1. You are missing one or more of your natural teeth.

Missing teeth can be embarrassing, making eating properly difficult and causing you to feel self-conscious about smiling in public. Dental implants are fully functional prosthetic teeth designed to look and feel just like your own natural teeth so if you do need one, you can feel confident in your restored smile.

2. You have a severely cracked tooth or a broken tooth that cannot be saved.

If you have a cracked or broken tooth, a dental crown or a dental implant may be your best option to restore the functionality to your smile. Although dentists always strive to save as much of the natural tooth structure as possible, if the tooth is damaged beyond repair, it might be necessary to extract it. If this happens, an implant that looks and works just like your natural teeth can restore your smile. Some patients eventually forget they even have an implant.

3.  You have loose-fitting partials or a loose-fitting denture.

Loose-fitting dentures or partials can be difficult to deal with every day, requiring removal for cleaning and messy adhesives to cement them in place. Implants are a good alternative to dentures and partials because you’ll no longer have to worry about your dentures becoming loose and falling out while talking or eating in public.

4. You are starting to experience bone loss (in the jaw area).

Jaw bone tissue can begin to erode in the places vacated by missing teeth without roots stimulating it to grow. With implants, they are screwed into the missing tooth’s socket and act as the artificial tooth root. Because they are typically made of titanium and zirconium, they naturally bond to the bone tissue in a process called osseointegration.

Preventing the deterioration of jaw bone tissue also prevents mouth regression — the shrunken appearance that the mouths of many denture-wearers have.

5. You have a sunken-in look to your facial appearance.

Did you ever notice the sunken-in or caved-in look that some denture-wearers’ mouths have? Unfortunately, this is a common issue for patients who wear dentures due to continuing bone loss as they grow older. Because dentures do not stimulate bone growth as implants do, the bone continues to deteriorate over time, resulting in the sunken-in, caved-in appearance.

Dental implants solve this problem by stimulating the growth of new, healthy bone tissue in the jaw around the implant (See #4 above for details).

To learn more about dental  implants, see Dental Implants.

Live in or near Columbia? Call Howard County Smiles Family Dentistry at 410.415.9013 for an implants’ consultation with Dr. Becker or schedule with us online. We can help you smile with carefree confidence again!