Bawa Family & Cosmetic Dentistry

Dental Implants

An excellent way to replace missing teeth.

Challenge:

• A missing tooth or teeth
• Potential bite and jaw joint problems from teeth shifting to fill the space
• The "sunken face" look associated with missing teeth
• Desire to improve chewing ability
• Desire for a more permanent solution than dentures

Solution:

Implants can even be used to secure a full set of removable dentures for people who have no remaining natural teeth. This can greatly improve chewing ability and reduce the risk of choking. It generally takes about six months for the surgical implant to heal before the final installation of the artificial tooth or teeth can be finished.

Pros:

Dental implants with artificial teeth are the closest thing to regrowing your natural teeth. They are strong, stable, durable and virtually undetectable. By filling gaps left by missing teeth, implants can provide better chewing ability and head off jaw joint problems. They are far superior to removable dentures.

Cons:

Dental implants are excellent, state-of-the-art restorations and have few disadvantages when compared to alternatives such as dentures. However, dental implants do require surgery and time to heal, and they are initially more expensive than dentures or fixed bridges. These disadvantages are offset by the ease of use, saved time and long term health benefits of implants.

Alternatives:

Dentures are a poor alternative to dental implants. However, in some cases, where finances are a primary concern, dentures are the only alternative.