Denver Dental Implants

Put simply, dental implants are artificial teeth that are permanently embedded within your jaw bone. Dental implants are the ideal solution for a missing tooth or multiple missing teeth.

The Problem With Missing Teeth

Missing a single tooth, much less multiple teeth, can cause a lot of problems. Missing teeth in the front of your mouth can affect the way that other people perceive you, and how you perceive yourself. “Gap-toothed” smiles imply a lower level of intelligence in our culture, so by missing a tooth, you may be giving off the wrong first impression. Missing teeth can also make you appear to be older than you really are, or at the very least make you look older than you feel.

Missing teeth can also mean a functional problem in the way that your bite works. Teeth can sometimes drift into the gaping space which can bring your bite out of neuromuscular alignment. This can lead to TMJ problems and cause more wear and tear on your teeth.

The biggest problem with having a missing tooth is resorption of the bone tissue. Because your body recognizes that the bone is no longer holding a tooth in place, the bone of the alveolar ridges is no longer "stimulated" and is allowed to recede. This decreased amount of bone in the jaw can make it harder to chew food and, when many teeth are missing, gives a collapsed look to the lower third of the face.

If you live in the Denver area and are interested in replacing one or multiple teeth with dental implants, make an appointment online, or call our office now to speak with someone.

Solutions to Missing Teeth

Until the late Seventies to early Eighties, there were only two ways to replace missing teeth: a dental bridge or dentures. The dental bridge is a crown that is affixed to the neighboring teeth of the missing tooth rather than being cemented to the remains of a damaged tooth. Dental bridges can be very aesthetically pleasing, but do nothing to prevent bone resorption following tooth loss. Similarly, dentures can look good, but they don’t prevent bone loss. In fact, studies have shown that wearing dentures can speed up the rate of resorption. Dentures  can also be uncomfortable to wear, and impair eating and speech.

Why Dental Implants

Dental implants are permanent solutions that are almost natural in the way they work. Unlike dental bridges, dental implants don’t require any modification of the surrounding teeth, making them a more conservative choice. Dental implants also preserve the jaw bone from resorption by providing the alveolar ridges with stimulation by way of the titanium implant that is placed directly in the place of the root of the missing tooth. After dental implants have healed and are firmly grafted into your jaw bone, they are every bit as strong as your natural teeth, which is something that you can't say about dental bridges or dentures.

How Do Dental Implants Work?

First, Dr. Berry will meet with you in a consultation to discuss whether or not a dental implant is the right solution for you. If so, Dr. Berry will refer you to a periodontist, who will place the titanium dental implant post in your jaw where the tooth is missing.

Then Dr. Berry will use his skills as a cosmetic dentist to create the restoration that will be the crown of the new "tooth". He will work with a dental lab to ensure that the crown is natural-looking and that it will match the surrounding teeth to make your smile look as good as new.

We will also use his knowledge and experience in neuromuscular dentistry to make sure that your new dental implant works in harmony with the rest of your bite, so that it doesn’t actually cause more problems than it solved.

Want To Learn More About Dental Implants?

If you're interested in learning more about whether or not a dental implant is right for you, contact our Denver office today. We'll meet with you for an initial consultation to see how a dental implant will fit in with your overall goals for your smile.