Missing teeth can affect just about every aspect of your life — when you’re eating or smiling. It’s a problem that millions of people are dealing with every single day. One procedure has changed the way The Smile Center addresses missing teeth is dental implants .

Our Georgetown SC dental office and Murrells Inlet SC dental office have been using dental implants to help patients with missing teeth for several years now. Our patients love the strength and stability of the implants, and the procedure is simple and highly successful. Whether you’re located in (Georgetown) 843-492-5026 or  (Murrells Inlet) 843-491-5353, we can offer you the best tooth replacement for you.

Today we want to provide five facts about dental implants that you need to know.

1. The Strongest Tooth Replacement Option

Dental implants are the strongest tooth replacement option because the implant is placed into the bone. Other tooth replacement options, like dentures and bridges, are not fixed into the bone. Dentures rest on the gums, making if difficult to chew tough food chewy food. Some studies claim that dentures give you only about 25 to 50 percent of the biting force of natural teeth. Bridges, on the other hand, are supported by the adjacent teeth, but your biting force is decreased and food can get trap in the bridge. Bridges also have a high failure rate than implants. Implants nearly match the natural power of your natural teeth, allowing you to eat whatever you want again.

2. Preserve the Bone

When the teeth are lost, the jawbone will begin to recede. This recession changes the shape of the mouth. This physical change often causes people to develop wrinkles around their mouth and draw the nose and chin closer together. It’s no surprise that these changes can make you look much older than you really are. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, jawbone changes make it difficult to keep removable appliances like dentures in place. Because dentures rest of the gums, any changes in the bone and gums, will directly affect the denture fit. Implants are made from titanium, a biocompatible metal that merges with the bone. Once the implant, which resembles a small screw is healed, it literally becomes part of your body.

3. Safe and Predictable Procedure

Placing a dental implant is technically oral surgery , but the procedure is actually extremely predictable. The success rate is about 98 percent, which is great for any medical procedure! Dentures and even bridges are less predictable. One set of dentures will not last forever. Dentures can break or warp over time, and because of jaw changes we mentioned earlier, you’ll need to get your denture refitted or redone entirely throughout your life. A bridge requires us to prepare two healthy teeth to support the restoration. A dental implant stands on its own. We don’t need to touch any of your healthy teeth, and once the implant is in, it can be restored with a crown, bridge, or denture.

4. More Than One Option

Most dental offices that place dental implants use one standard size of implant. This type of implant is known as the root-form in that it act as the root of your tooth. To be a candidate for a traditional dental implant, you need to be in good health and have enough bone to support the implant. However, not everyone has enough bone to support a traditional implant, especially if you’ve spent years wearing dentures. This is where mini dental implants can help. These implants function just like traditional implants but they are smaller in diameter. Mini dental implants give more people options for dental implants and make it possible to forego extensive treatments like bone and gum grafting.

5. Can Last Forever

Your natural teeth are your best teeth, but natural teeth don’t always lost forever. Our teeth can get cavities and fall victim to gum disease (Gum disease being the No. 1 cause of tooth loss in adults.) And, of course, we can have accidents that cause us to lose teeth.  Unlike our natural teeth, implants do not get cavities. We’ve found with proper care, these implants can last forever. Implants also have a much higher success rate than bridges.

Our dental implant patients never have to worry about their teeth popping out ever again. They have more confidence in social situations, and they can eat whatever they want. If you’re struggling with missing teeth, visit our office for an in-depth consultation. Contact our office 843-492-5026 for (Georgetown) or 843-491-5353 for (Murrells Inlet).