Are you missing any teeth? So are a lot of people. Approximately 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth while 40 million are missing all of them. Fortunately, with modern dental technology, gaps in your smile can be a thing of the past. Dental implants in Goodlettsville are used in order to restore patients’ smiles. But did you know that there are three different types of dental implants? Continue reading to learn what they are.
Single Dental Implant
This is the type of dental implant that you probably hear the most about. When you are missing one tooth, it can typically be replaced with just one single implant with one crown on the end. You can lose a single tooth for a variety of reasons, including decay, injuries, and other oral health issues. After the titanium implant is placed, a crown will be custom made to be the exact size, shape, and color needed to blend in with the rest of your smile.
Implant-Retained Dental Bridge
Most of the time, a bridge consists of two dental crowns on either side of the missing tooth with an artificial crown between them. Instead of having the crowns overtop adjacent teeth, they can be supported by dental implants. Depending on where your missing teeth are located, you can have multiple teeth supported using fewer implants. This process is very similar to the process of getting a single tooth implant, except the middle teeth of the bridge will not have an implant directly underneath them.
Implant-Retained Denture
A full denture is an artificial arch of teeth that rests on your gumline in order to give you the appearance of a full set of teeth and restore chewing power. What makes an implant-retained denture different is the fact that it is supported by four or more dental implants rather than your gum tissue. This helps to prevent bone loss and offers greater stability than a traditional denture does. Once the implants are healed, the custom-made denture will fasten to the dental implants. This help to restore both the smile and confidence of patients without many of the cons of traditional dentures.
Whether you are missing one tooth or all of your teeth, dental implants may be a solution. Ask your dentist in Goodlettsville whether or not you would make a good candidate. This way, you will have your smile back in no time!
About the Author
Dr. Deidra Harrison-McClain earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery from Meharry Medical College in Nashville where she graduated at the top of her class. She completed a dental residency through the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry, where she participated in rotations in numerous areas of the field, including anesthesia, family medicine, oral surgery, emergency medicine, and operating room dentistry. For more information on dental implants or to schedule a consultation, visit her website or call (615) 859-0188.