If a tooth in your smile is lost or extracted as a result of severe decay or injury, it can leave you feeling self-conscious in social situations. It could also cause you to slur your speech, or lead to other complications. In time the surrounding teeth can start to twist and turn in response to the missing structure. While unappealing, this could also lead to alignment issues that cause chips on the corresponding teeth in your bite pattern.
One of the most effective methods our dentist recommends for restoring a missing tooth in your smile is to have a dental implant installed. Then a crown made from porcelain or porcelain fused to metal can be mounted on top of it.
The implant is inserted into your jaw during a single outpatient appointment, requiring deep sedation. This requires an oral surgeon to make a small incision in the gums to gain direct access the underlying bone.
They will then make a narrow channel into the bone and screw a titanium abutment into place. Titanium is known to be biologically safe and will eventually fuse with natural bone tissues to provide a strong anchor for your crown.
Once the titanium abutment has been fully integrated with the surrounding bone tissues our dentist can go about the standard practice of installing the porcelain crown onto the abutment.
If you are missing a tooth in your smile, you shouldn’t delay in contacting our Mentor, Ohio clinic to have it restored with a dental implant.