The most common number of teeth I come across for adults is 28. Most have had their wisdom (3rd molars) removed because we didn't have room for them, they became infected or we were told to avoid problems and get them taken out early for prevention. Some have the room for the wisdom teeth and some don't. Either way that is fine. Some of us have even less teeth than that.
There are a few issues with when we lose teeth prematurely.
- Bone loss: The teeth are place-holders in the jaw. When one falls out and is not replaced, the bone that once surrounded it begins to deteriorate and wear down. Your bone will DEFORM. Bone needs to be needed and if its not holding the place of a tooth or implant it will just go away
- Bite changes: The loss of one or more teeth can cause the redistribution of bite pressure onto other teeth. Teeth are social creatures, they like to be touching other teeth. If you have a space, teeth will tilt into that space trying to find a friend or grown down/up until they are hitting either your gums or another tooth.
- Speech: A missing tooth can negatively affect the way you speak, depending on its location. It's not fun learning to talk again when you have dentures. Losing your "voice" is losing a big part of your identity.
- Gum disease: Shifting teeth can make it easier for plaque to accumulate in hard-to-reach places. This can increase the risk of gum disease, which can lead to additional tooth loss..
- Aesthetics: A missing tooth leaves a visible gap between the teeth and can be a source of embarrassment and insecurity. Stayplates, flippers, and partials are poor replacements for teeth aesthetically and functionally. A replacement tooth you end up keeping in your pocket when you eat isn't what anyone wants.
Bone loss following extraction of the teeth.
Guess what, we have pretty good thing in dentistry now that can help fill in these missing spaces. It is integrated in bone and feels like a regular tooth. It will keep you sounding the same, help keep teeth in place (actually, being fused to the bone, it will move not at all where your other teeth still will. In terms of staying put, its BETTER than your natural tooth), you can floss it unlike a bridge so it keeps your gums happy, it doesn't require a crown on adjacent teeth compromising them, it holds up bone.
Implants are in the most simple terms titanium posts that are placed in the spot left vacated by your missing tooth. Sometimes we can place them in the same day you get the old one taken out. Sometimes we need to add a little bone and let it heal. That titanium post needs a few months to fuse to the bone before we can ideally place a tooth to it. To do that, something called an abutment screws into the post and sticks into the mouth so we can add the third part, a crown that is cemented in place or screwed in place and can allow you to function as you were before.
Implant costs are usually slightly more than a bridge with a few major benefits added. From a dental perspective, we don't have to unnecessarily shave down neighboring teeth to make a bridge. Secondly, they feel and can be cleaned just like your natural tooth. Lastly, they tend to last a lot longer and they don't get cavities. They are by far the closest thing we have to a permanent solution in dentistry. In the long run, they are the most cost efficient option.
Let us know if you want to have a consultation for implants at your next appointment. Sometimes we place the implant here in the office without any extra workup necessary. Sometimes we will send you out for a 3D scan if we are fitting the implant in a tight spot and need exact measurements. Sometimes we will refer to to a specialist (usually oral surgeon or periodontist) if the case is more complex as we would any other specialty. As always, we are happy to do a benefits check to see if your insurance benefits can help. Thankfully, more insurances are offering coverage where they weren't just a few years ago. Those that know anything about insurance companies know that they only want to cover the bare minimum and be cost efficient. Implants are the present and future.
Implant costs are usually slightly more than a bridge with a few major benefits added. From a dental perspective, we don't have to unnecessarily shave down neighboring teeth to make a bridge. Secondly, they feel and can be cleaned just like your natural tooth. Lastly, they tend to last a lot longer and they don't get cavities. They are by far the closest thing we have to a permanent solution in dentistry. In the long run, they are the most cost efficient option.
Let us know if you want to have a consultation for implants at your next appointment. Sometimes we place the implant here in the office without any extra workup necessary. Sometimes we will send you out for a 3D scan if we are fitting the implant in a tight spot and need exact measurements. Sometimes we will refer to to a specialist (usually oral surgeon or periodontist) if the case is more complex as we would any other specialty. As always, we are happy to do a benefits check to see if your insurance benefits can help. Thankfully, more insurances are offering coverage where they weren't just a few years ago. Those that know anything about insurance companies know that they only want to cover the bare minimum and be cost efficient. Implants are the present and future.
