If you’re a Manhattan adult who is missing a tooth or teeth, you may be considering a variety of teeth replacement options, including a bridge, dentures or a tooth implant. If you’ve already spoken to periodontist Dr. Kissel about your tooth replacement options, you may be aware that he strongly encourages his patients in the city to receive a tooth implant. But why does Dr. Kissel prefer a tooth implant over a bridge or dentures? Read on to learn about the oral health benefits that you should know about tooth implants.
What Happens When You Lose a Tooth
When a Manhattan resident loses a tooth, either to gum disease, a tooth infection, trauma or another reason, they don’t only lose the aesthetic appearance of their smile. They lose their ability to chew food effectively. They also put themselves at risk for bone resorption. You see, when your natural tooth is in your mouth, it stimulates your jawbone and bone growth. But when your tooth comes out – for whatever reason – the bone around the tooth can begin to erode. Not only does this cause problems for your jaw, but it can also make your gums recede, the skin around your mouth may collapse, and you may begin to look prematurely older around your mouth.
How Can A Tooth Implant Help With Bone Resorption?
When a tooth implant is placed in a patient’s mouth, the titanium implant stimulates the growth of the jawbone, just like a natural tooth root would. This jawbone stimulation prevents bone resorption and its complications, including an eroded jawbone, recessed gums, collapsed skin and older older-looking mouth.
Why Can’t Dental Bridges or Dentures Prevent Bone Resorption?
Many Manhattan tooth implant candidates are curious why they can’t get a dental bridge or dentures to prevent bone resorption. The reason – bridges and dentures don’t implant anything into your jawbone. While bridges and dentures may restore some aesthetic and oral function for doing things like chewing food, they do nothing to stimulate the growth of the jawbone or prevent gums from receding.
Tell Me More About Tooth Implants
A tooth implant is a popular tooth replacement solution amongst Manhattan periodontists like Dr. Kissel for a variety of reasons. Not only do they prevent bone resorption and gum recession, but they are also the most aesthetically pleasing tooth replacement option that provides the strongest oral function, next to a natural tooth.
A tooth implant is placed by first inserting a titanium implant into the jawbone area of the missing tooth. Then, a dental crown – which looks exactly like a real tooth – is placed over the titanium tooth implant, providing you once again with a natural-looking smile. Since the tooth implant is inserted into your jawbone, it is a permanent solution, meaning you can chew and speak without worrying that your tooth implant will come out. And unlike dental bridges, which attach to adjacent teeth, a tooth implant doesn’t affect the teeth next to it at all.
Getting a Tooth Implant in Manhattan
If you’re a Manhattan resident with a missing tooth, and you believe that you are a tooth implant candidate, the best thing you can do is see Dr. Kissel himself.
Call our Manhattan offices for a consultation and oral examination today at (212) 702-9088.
