Signs you require dental implants in Richmond
One way in which your dentist can help your smile last well into your twilight years, is through the use of dental implants. This simple procedure can help turn a gap filled grin into a star-quality smile in no time at all. It’s quite popular with patients and can be quite beneficial, but sadly some people still aren’t aware of the fact that they may need this treatment.
So with that in mind, here are a few signs that you may need dental implants in Richmond.
What are dental implants?
Before we begin, here’s a quick summary of what this procedure involves.
For patients coming in for dental implants in Richmond, they are essentially having a prosthetic tooth inserted below their gum line and into the jawbone. The tooth is usually made from porcelain or a variation of ceramics and it’s held in place with a titanium screw that’s been sterilised to prevent any infection from occurring.
Over time the bone will heal back over the screw and this should provide a stable and sturdy platform for your newly implanted tooth. At Sheen Dental our team will fit your new implant in a quick and safe procedure with minimal discomfort involved where possible.
Crooked or crowded teeth
As we age our teeth can naturally move around in our mouths and in some cases this can lead to crooked or crowded looking teeth. Aside from making you feel self-conscious when you smile, these misaligned teeth can also cause plaque to build up in hard to clean places, which can lead to gingivitis and other oral health issues.
Where an implant can help is when we can insert a single prosthetic tooth or multiple prosthetic teeth to provide you with a straightened out smile.
Gap filled smile
Much more noticeable than crooked teeth, having gaps can cause all sorts of problems of their own aside from ruining your smile.
As an example, gaps between teeth can cause them to become weakened and loose. So implanting a prosthetic next to them will allow us to strengthen their base and provide a rigid support they can lean against.
Difficulty with speech
Another sign you may require an implant is if you’re struggling with saying certain phrases or if you have a pronounced whistling noise whilst speaking. Implanting a prosthetic tooth may help fill in any gaps that your tongue may be tripping over or where air might be whistling through.
Chronic jaw problems
In closing we have one last symptom to keep an eye out for, chronic jaw pain or an aching feeling. This can appear because as we eat, our jaw muscles apply pressure in our mouth that our teeth equally distribute across our mouth. But, if you have any gaps or misaligned teeth the force being applied becomes unbalanced and you can start to experience an aching pain in parts of your mouth where the pressure is building up unequally.
These are just a few of the signs that you may need to come into our practice for implants. If you are still not sure if you require them, then ask our team on your next visit to the practice, to see what we can do for you.