When you lose a permanent tooth, it can be devastating. Nevertheless, there are natural-looking prosthetic dental devices that can serve as a tooth replacement. The most comparable option to a natural tooth is a dental implant.

To function normally, a natural tooth requires a root and a crown. The crown is the portion of the tooth that is exposed above the gum line. However, the roots of a tooth serve to anchor the tooth inside the jawbone for stability. 

A dental implant replaces the crown and root of the tooth. The natural crown is replaced by a fabricated crown that is affixed to a prosthetic root using an abutment. The root is actually a screw that is inserted into the jawbone, where it fuses with the bone for stability. Here are a few benefits of receiving a dental implant for a single tooth replacement:

Aesthetic Appeal

A dental gap can affect your appearance every time you smile or speak. This is especially true if the gap is the size of a tooth. 

Still, the space from a  missing tooth also affects your facial structure. Your teeth support your jaws and help your face avoid a sunken appearance. However, without a tooth to support a portion of your cheek or lip, your face may lose its youthful fullness.

A dental implant can fill the gap and offer needed support to the soft tissues of your face.

Dental Alignment

Each of your teeth serves as a placeholder for the teeth adjacent to it. When a tooth is missing, the space provides room for teeth to shift out of alignment. Even if your teeth were perfectly straight before you lost your tooth, the new gap can facilitate the dental migration of your remaining teeth.

A dental implant helps keep your other teeth in their original position.

Jawbone Stimulation

When you chew, your jawbone is stimulated at the site where the root of your tooth is inserted into the bone.This stimulation promotes healthy bone growth and prevents bone loss from atrophy. Loss of bone density can cause your remaining teeth to loosen in their socket. 

Since a dental implant is inserted into your bone, it continues to stimulate your jawbone as you chew.

Dental implants are commonly used to restore a lost tooth. However, implant recipients should have healthy gums and controlled blood sugar in order to be good implant candidates. If you would like to receive a dental implant, contact your dentist (like Hartman Gary DDS MS Limited) to determine whether an implant is right for you.