We often associate tooth loss with old age: images of grannies with their teeth by the bed, or elderly gummy smiles. However, not all teeth are lost in later years.

Youthful teeth can be knocked out playing sport, through a fall or an accident, or be lost to disease if you are really unlucky. If this has happened to you, you’ll know the feelings of frustration and resignation that come with knowing that you need to wear false teeth for the rest of your long life. This could affect your speech, what you eat, the shape of your face and how confident you feel in your smile.

Giving you back your teeth

At Orpington Dental Care, we use dental implants in Orpington to restore lost teeth and give you back full functionality. Dental implants are unique because they are the only method of tooth restoration that replaces the root as well as the crown.

When a tooth is lost, the main difficulties are caused not by the visible part, but the root underneath. With no root to stimulate the jawbone, the bone believes it is no longer needed in that area and begins to dissolve. This can cause the face to sag and surrounding teeth to drift into the gap. Not a great prospect if you lost teeth snowboarding when you were 18.

Dentures and bridges don’t address this problem because they only replace the part of the tooth you can see, the crown. They also don’t last that long – 10 years max – and can also become loose over time, affecting speech and chewing ability.

Dental implants, however, fix this issue for two reasons: they are made of titanium which is a miraculous metal that fuses with the bone. The body registers it as natural tissue and grows around the implant, securing it in place. The jawbone gets the tiny taps it needs to start growing again. The implants are now also secured in place and so are a stable, durable solution, that can withstand the natural forces of biting and chewing. Crunchy food is back on the menu!

And with proper care, dental implants in Orpington can last a lifetime.