Dental Implants: Why There's No Better Choice for Replacing Missing Teeth

Nothing wrecks a beautiful smile like missing teeth. At one time, bridges and dentures were the only way to fill in a mouthful of missing teeth. Today, we have dental implants. 

Our dentists at Rozenberg Dental NYC, led by Lana Rozenberg, DDS, offer dental implant treatments to fix your smile with natural-looking replacement teeth. Here’s how the procedure works.

What happens when you lose a tooth?

Missing teeth are more than just a cosmetic problem. Here’s why.

Each tooth has roots that grow deep into your jawbone. Roots give teeth strength and stability. Plus, the bone tissue around tooth roots constantly renews itself whenever it senses activity, like chewing or talking. This keeps your facial structure secure and your jawbone dense and strong.

When you lose a tooth, you lose its roots, too. The jawbone no longer receives signals that the area is active, and the jaw tissue no longer renews itself. Eventually, your bone deteriorates in that spot, which can cause neighboring teeth to loosen, shift, and fall out.  

Time makes the problem worse. When imperiled teeth fall out, the shape of your jaw, and therefore your face, can change. 

How dental implants simulate real teeth

Unlike bridges and dentures, which are removable, dental implants are permanent. They consist of a below-the-gum “root” that’s placed into your jawbone and an above-the-gum crown that looks like a real tooth.

At the heart of the dental implant is a titanium post that is inserted into your jaw and ultimately fuses into place as bone tissue grows around it. The crown fits over the implant, making it a permanent part of you. 

Dental implants protect your other teeth

Dental implants not only protect your jaw against bone loss, they also stabilize surrounding teeth.

Prosthetics, like some bridges, are anchored to neighboring teeth, and those teeth must be chipped or ground down to accommodate the crown that holds the dental appliance. Altering the neighboring teeth weakens them and puts them at risk.

Dental implants, however, become firmly anchored into your jaw just like your other teeth. Neighboring teeth are not altered, and they remain strong because the jawbone to which they are anchored remains stable.

Implants are supportive

A dental implant can replace a single tooth or several teeth at once. We can also use 4-6 implants to secure a full set of dentures on the top or the bottom. Implants also can support several other dental appliances, such as crowns, bridges, and partial dentures.

If you’d like to learn more about how dental implants can give you the beautiful smile you’ve always wanted, call our office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City at 212-265-7724 to schedule an appointment or fill out our online contact form.