Being involved in an accident that affects the dentition can be a bad experience as there is the chance that you may have to deal with injuries that alter your physical appearance. If you suffer from damages to your dentition, all hope is not lost as it is possible to undergo reconstructive procedures that aim to set things back to normal. But you will have to ensure that you get proper treatment and discuss with an experienced dentist the best procedure to help reconstruct your dentition. If you are considering dental implants after an accident, detailed below are tips on how dental implants can help patients after a tragedy.
What are Dental Implants
Dental implants are replacement teeth made to match your natural dentition and are prescribed for people suffering from tooth loss or a damaged tooth following the events of an accident. They are made to provide a solid foundation to the entire dental structure, so you don’t suffer from loss or injuries to the natural dentition. You will need to speak to a dentist to determine if it is the right course of treatment as several procedures are available to fix dental issues.
The procedure involved the positioning of a metal post in the jawline to replace a missing or damaged tooth. The piece of metal is surgically placed below the gum and attached to the jawbone and will have to undergo the process of osseointegration to enable it to fully attach to the jawbone. Once done, it can greatly improve the patient’s ability to speak and eat without difficulties. This procedure when successfully conducted can offer a positive and permanent solution to the use of fixtures that don’t fit properly or are uncomfortable in the mouth.
Benefits of Dental Implants
There are many ways tooth implants can be preferred to other forms of corrective dental treatment. And when properly conducted by an expert dental implants and root canal dentist, it could offer relief from an uncomfortable tooth situation. Some of the benefits of dental implants include
Better Appearance
There is undoubtedly the benefit of an improved dental appearance when you get specialized implants that will help fill any holes or take care of a crooked tooth. Since they are designed to fuse with the jawline, they look like the real deal and will help bring back your confidence when you smile.
Helps Improve Speech
You will also find it helps to improve your speech as a missing tooth can cause your speech to slur or in the case of a poorly fitting denture that slips out of line when you talk. You won’t have to worry about any slips or mincing your words when you get quality dental implants from a professional dentist.
Eliminates Difficulties with Eating
With a missing tooth, it can be a challenge chewing your tool and if you do have dentures that don’t fit properly, you will also experience difficulties with chewing bones and swallowing too. And with proper implants in place, you can avoid the risk of injury to your gum or mistakenly swallowing your dentures when eating.
Improves Self-esteem and Comfort
There is also the fact that you get to feel a heightened form of self-esteem when you no longer have to move around with spaces in the mouth or shy away from smiling because you have a broken or missing tooth. You will surely feel more comfortable smiling in public which could be great for your confidence and help you make new friends. This link https://patient.info/news-and-features/how-your-teeth-can-affect-your-self-esteem has more on why poor dentition can affect your confidence and what you can do to improve things.
Durable Solution for Improved Oral Health
You will be benefitting from a long-lasting solution for your damaged teeth. When properly done by an expert dentist, tooth implants can last a lifetime and will only require occasional maintenance as you would other teeth in the mouth. There will also be an improvement in your oral health as you won’t need to reduce nearby teeth as you would when you choose a dental bridge.
Since you have the option of individual implants if you have to replace more than one tooth, you will surely get the feeling you would with your natural dentition. This will also help improve hygiene as there would be spaces between each tooth improving access between each tooth.
A Convenient Option
There is also the issue of convenience with the use of dental implants as opposed to dentures. You get a permanent solution that eliminates the need for removing fixtures whenever you want to eat or sleep. It will also help avoid the need for messy adhesives that are needed to fix dentures in place.
Who can Undergo Dental Implants Procedure
Ideally, anyone who has properly consulted with their dentist who prescribes it as a possible treatment to fix a dental problem can opt for the procedure. But in general, you may qualify for the procedure if you fall into any of the categories below.
- Are missing one or more teeth
- Are dealing with a jawbone that has grown out
- Can undergo a bone graft or possess a suitable bone structure to hold the implants in place
- Possess healthy dental tissues that can be used to support the procedure
- Aren’t suffering from any condition of the teeth that can affect the healing time
- Can’t stand to wear dentures that are discomforting in the mouth
- Have a desire to improve your speech
- Can afford to commit to the time (months) needed for the procedure
A Breakdown of the Procedure
You will have to first meet with a dentist who will likely take an x-ray of your mouth and discuss possible treatment options that can help remedy the situation. If it happened you were involved in an accident where you suffer injuries to other parts of your body, you will need to recover first from treatment to open wounds on the skin before you can dedicate the time to fixing issues of the dentition. This page here has more on choosing between dentures or a dental implant.
Proper preparation will have you meeting with a host of medical experts who will need to conclude how best to treat. And they will have to draw inspiration from your medical history to be better informed about your health condition and which drugs to avoid during the treatment.
An oral and maxillofacial surgeon may be needed to examine the jaw, mouth, and face to determine the extent of damage to the dentition if you are recovering from an injury. You may also have to check with a periodontist who will check the structures of the teeth to determine the type of structures required for the implants. Lastly, a prosthodontist is required to examine the dentition to determine how best to design the implants that will be used for the procedure.
Getting the Right Treatment
You will have to check if your dental coverage is covered by your insurance provider and if not will have to cover the cost of the procedure. But you won’t have to spend much to work with a trained professional and may only have to spend more if you have to treat yourself when recovering from a tragic accident. After a comprehensive dental check involving x-rays and 3D scans to ascertain the state of your dentition and a background check of your medical history, a treatment plan will be set up to suit your predicament.
Treatment will involve the use of local anesthesia to control the pain during the surgical procedure to place the implants. The entire process doesn’t take place in one day and requires frequent meetings with experts to carefully ensure that the process is properly performed. The different stages will include
- The removal of the damaged tooth
- Preparing the jawbone (grafting)
- Placing the dental implants
- Growth of the dental bone and healing of the jawline and gum
- Placement of an abutment (to support the new tooth)
- The placement of the artificial tooth
Final Note
You will need to give time for healing to complete. You will also need to choose the right implants to use in the mouth. Ideally, you will need to take caution during the weeks after the treatment, and once you have begun the procedure will have to avoid chewing gums, ice, hard candy, or bones. It is also advisable to stay off smoking during this period to afford the tooth enough time to heal completely.
You must check with an expert dentist when looking to fit in a tooth implant and consider the best treatment option for you and not the cheapest. When carefully done, implants can last a lifetime, so you want to consider your options and ensure you get them right.