What's the best tooth replacement? Today, it's the dental implant, an artificial tooth from crown to root. It improves bone integrity, provides outstanding oral function and closes unsightly smile gaps. At Personal Choice Dental in your team of five dentists places dental implants in scores of patients annually. Could you be one of them?

Those awful smile gaps

They harm more than your personal appearance and self-image. Dear Doctor explains that your jaw loses a full 25 percent of bone width, height, and density within one year of dental extraction, and as time proceeds, so does bone recession. As a result, teeth next to the smile gap shift, your ability to bite and chew efficiently diminishes, and your faces ages--particularly if you lose multiple teeth.

Dental implants from your dentist

The best solution is the dental implant because it imitates the look, function, and feel of a real tooth. Composed of a titanium screw inserted into the jaw bone, a metal alloy extension post, and porcelain crown, an implant actually improves bone density and confers stable oral function and excellent smile appearance.

Why are dental implants from your dentist so superior to traditional bridgework or dentures? The answer lies in something called osseointegration. Human bone and titanium metal bond, or integrate, together. No other metal fuses with bone as well as titanium does.

After your dentist inserts the implant screw, he closes the site, and healing begins. While it takes many weeks, osseointegration secures the implant so it can receive its post and crown and subsequently bites, chews, and appears just like a real tooth.

For larger gaps, or for people who are fully edentulous, implants support prosthetics such as bridges and full or partial dentures. So, implants are amazingly versatile, and they last for 40 to 50 years, says the Institute for Dental Implant Awareness.

Keeping implant sites healthy

If you brush twice a day and floss around implants daily, you are well on your way to keeping your dental implants sites healthy and viable. You should avoid excessive wear and tear on your new teeth by wearing a bite guard if you grind your teeth (a habit known as bruxism) and avoiding super-hard dietary choices such as taffy and peanut brittle.

Of course, it's no surprise that tobacco usage impacts implant health and viability. Cigarette smoke, in particular, infects and degrades the bone and gum tissue around the implant screw. Long story short, if you wish to keep your implants for the rest of your life, cut out all tobacco.

Ready for an implant consultation?

So are we. Please contact Personal Choice Dental for details on closing up your smile gaps. Your dentist will review your health history, do a complete examination and determine if you have enough bone to receive implants. Most people do! So, call at (732) 727-1211 for our Old Bridge office.