Replacing your teeth with dental implants is a big decision. Although it comes with many benefits, it’s also an irreversible decision. You want to make sure you’re making the right choice.
The best way to make this decision is to consult with an implant dentist. In fact, it’s best to talk to at least two implant dentists. It’s recommended that you get a second opinion for any important medical decision, especially anything irreversible such as a tooth extraction. If you are considering dental implants in Southlake, let the expert implant dentists at StarImage Dental Boutique and Oral Surgery help. We can evaluate your teeth and recommend a treatment plan for you.
Do Your Teeth Make It Hard to Eat?
Eating is one of the most important functions of your teeth. If your teeth aren’t up to this task, it might be time to replace them.
Your teeth might make you reluctant to eat certain foods because you can’t chew them. Sometimes you can’t chew them because you don’t have enough teeth or your teeth are badly damaged and don’t let you chew efficiently. Other times, you might be able to chew, but it’s too painful. Sometimes, chewing is possible but too laborious. This not only makes it hard to eat on your own, but it can also make you embarrassed to eat with or around other people.
If you are avoiding certain foods or if you are skipping meals altogether because of your teeth, it’s time to consider replacing them with full arch dental implants in Southlake. This tooth replacement option will give you a firmly anchored restoration that will let you chew as well as you did with natural teeth. You’ll get to enjoy all the foods you’ve given up again.
Are Your Teeth Affecting Your Health?
The health of your teeth can impact your overall health. Of course, when teeth impact your diet, it can also impact your health. The first foods many people give up are fresh fruits and vegetables, which are critical to ongoing health. Not eating enough can make you lose weight, including muscle mass, making you weaker and more prone to falling.
However, unhealthy teeth can also impact your health in other ways. Dental infections can spread throughout your body, leading to dangerous, even deadly infections of the blood, brain, or other parts of the body. Dental infections can also contribute to your risk of cardiovascular disease. Oral bacteria can contribute to clogged arteries, as well as cause heart infections.
If your unhealthy teeth are increasing your risk for serious health problems, it’s time to consider removing them. Dental implants can restore the health of your mouth as well as give you the function of natural teeth.
Are Your Teeth Too Damaged to Restore?
Sometimes, teeth that make it hard to eat or are impacting your health can be restored. A Southlake restorative dentist can repair worn or broken teeth. Dental crowns can make many teeth function and look like new. Your dentist can restore infected teeth with the root canal therapy procedure. This eliminates the infection and resulting pain so your teeth will be healthy and functional for years–even decades.
However, sometimes your teeth might be too damaged to restore. For most teeth, once the root is damaged, restoring the tooth is too risky and may not provide long-lasting effective results. Another potential problem is if you have serious gum disease. This can destroy the bone around your teeth. It might not make sense to try to retain your teeth if too much of this support structure is lost.
Can You Achieve Good Results with Fewer Implants?
All the above situations lead us to recommend replacing teeth with dental implants. However, that doesn’t always mean full-arch dental implants. Sometimes you can get good results with fewer implants if you don’t do a full arch replacement. Your Southlake implant dentist might be able to remove some damaged teeth and replace them with an implant-supported bridge.
Other times, though, a full arch replacement does use fewer dental implants. Rather than having implants scattered here and there, you can replace your full arch of teeth with four or six implants, depending on your condition and treatment goals.
You Don’t Have to Replace Both Arches
It’s also important to remember that you don’t have to replace both your top and bottom teeth at the same time. If only one arch is causing problems, you can replace it with dental implants, while maintaining your natural teeth in the other arch. If one arch of teeth is healthy, this can give you the results you’re looking for without requiring more dental implants than necessary.
Sometimes, you can even get dental implants in one arch, then use a traditional denture in the other arch. However, the results are less effective.
Learn about Dental Implants in Southlake
Are you hoping to improve the appearance, comfort, and function of your teeth with dental implants? Let the Southlake implant dentists at StarImage Dental Boutique & Oral Surgery help. We can evaluate your teeth and help you decide on the best solution for moving forward.
Please call (817) 587-4566 or use our online form today to request an appointment at the office of StarImage Dental Boutique & Oral Surgery, less than five minutes from Bicentennial Park.
