Dental Implants

Are You Missing Teeth?

Dental implants are a revolutionary permanent solution that can transform your smile’s look, feel, and overall health. At Smile Sensations Dental in Winston-Salem, we offer full bridge replacements (the “All on 4” option) or single dental implants to accommodate patients with varying needs. Dr. Taylor’s skills, experience, and knowledge are just what you need to receive comprehensive dental implant treatment.

What Are Dental Implants?

Not very long ago, when someone lost a tooth or teeth that often meant there was a (fixed) bridge or a removable partial denture in store for that patient to maintain esthetics and/or chewing ability. These days, for most patients, dental implants provide another great option.

Dental implants can be used to replace just a single lost tooth or to replace an entire set of teeth. There are big differences between the two approaches, however, that your dentist can discuss.

With a single tooth implant, unlike with fixed bridgework, there is the advantage of not having to reshape the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth space. Especially when these side teeth have nothing wrong with them in the way of big fillings or existing crowns, implants are often the best option. Also, when a tooth is lost, the jaw begins the process of slowly dissolving away in this area. But when an implant is placed back, this stops this dissolving away of the jaw bone. Over the course of time, patients who have lost teeth and who have not replaced them with implants can experience a great deal of jaw bone loss in those areas.

Illustration of Dental Implants and Tooth Crowns

What Makes up an Implant?

You go to your dentist and say you want an “implant.” What do you really mean? You are referring to the final result of having a replacement tooth that looks good and that you can chew with.

It is good to clarify that the “implant” is technically just the root replacement portion and not the entire final result. A surgeon places the actual implant and onto that is affixed an “abutment.” This is like what you see under a crown, like a re-shaped tooth of sorts.

Once this is in place the dentist then fits and secures the crown. So there are actually three individual components: The implant, the abutment, and the crown, and as long as you realize that we all may speak with the shorthand terminology of saying “implant” or “dental implant” to mean all three components, that eliminates a lot of misunderstanding.

When multiple teeth are replaced, you gain the ability to chew with greater force than with removable partial dentures or full dentures, and therefore do not feel compromised with what you can effectively chew. Dental implants have an excellent success rate, having been a service provided by dentists and dental specialists for decades.

Dental Implants offer a wide range of benefits

Dental implants are the gold standard for replacing missing teeth. Anyone missing teeth understands that they sacrifice confidence and the ability to smile and laugh without covering their mouths in shame. The most obvious of benefits is the ability for greater enjoyment of life. But the benefits go far beyond this:

Improved appearance and overall self-esteem: Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth because they permanently fuse with the bone. They give you back your smile and help you feel confident in yourself.
Improved speech: With dentures, the teeth can slip and slide in the mouth, causing slurring or mumbling. With dental implants, you speak without the worry that teeth might slip.
Improved comfort and convenience: Because they become part of you, there is no more embarrassing inconvenience of removing dentures or the need for messy adhesives to keep them in place.
Easier eating: Sliding dentures can make chewing especially difficult. Dental implants function like your own teeth, allowing you to eat your favorite foods without pain. Teeth are supported by stable and robust implant posts that have fused with your jawbone.
Improved oral health: Dental implants don’t require attachment to other teeth, as a tooth-supported bridge does. Because nearby teeth don’t support the implant, your original teeth are left intact, improving long-term oral health.

Durability: Implants are long-lasting and durable. With proper care, they will last many years. Some implants can last a lifetime.
Stopping bone loss: A natural tooth root provides continual stimulation to the bone surrounding it through force whenever you bite down or chew with that tooth. If the tooth is absent, this stimulation is lost, and the bone recedes. By replacing your tooth root with a dental implant post, stimulation is restored to your jawbone, halting further bone loss.
Healthy remaining natural teeth: Restoring missing teeth with dental implants protects your remaining teeth by preventing them from moving out of position and maintaining your natural bite.

Dr. Taylor provides dental implants to replace your missing teeth and in many cases, we can even replace a tooth in about an hour. Our office uses the latest treatments and technologies in implant design to fully replace your teeth and restore your smile and oral health. We invite you to call us at 336-768-3474 to learn more about dental implants in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and schedule a consultation with our skilled dentists and team.

Implants Supporting Dentures and the Fixed “All on Four” Option

A lower denture can be supported and greatly stabilized with as few as 2 dental implants. With 4 implants on the lower, there is the very stable “All on Four” option. In order to completely understand each of these options, please have a discussion with your dentist in person.

Make sure to check the map for directions. We look forward to meeting you!