Were you involved in an accident that caused the loss of teeth? Car accidents, sports accidents, and falls are common causes of tooth loss. Fortunately, dental implants can replace your lost teeth, restoring the beauty and function of your smile.
Here’s a quick guide to replacing lost teeth with dental implants.
Replace One, Some, or All Teeth
Dental implants are a very flexible approach to replacing lost teeth. They can be used to successfully replace any number of lost teeth, whether it’s just one, a few, or all your teeth.
After an accident, consider which teeth you might want to replace. Sometimes a tooth is loose but might be saved with proper care. Other times, a tooth that is still secure might be better to replace because it’s unhealthy or because removing it might make for better replacement options.
Was Your Jaw Damaged?
Jaw trauma can break your bones in ways that might need to heal before we can place implants. Other types of jaw injury might need surgery to repair the jaw before we can place implants.
This might include situations where you lost bone as part of the accident. Trauma can break away the alveolar bone that supports teeth and implants. If there is too much missing, we might recommend a separate bone graft procedure before placing implants, though other solutions, like mini dental implants, can sometimes work, too.
Don’t Neglect Jaw Function
In addition to damage to the jaw bones and joint, you might have experienced whiplash, dislocation, sprains, and other injury to the soft tissue of the jaw, such as tendons, muscles, and nerves. You have to keep these types of injury in mind when replacing teeth with dental implants. Not only that, but remember that if you don’t get teeth replaced right away (either by choice or because you have to heal first), your jaw can develop habits to compensate for the imbalanced bite. These habits can cause painful TMJ or damage your implants. This is one potential cause of recurring headaches after your accident. Investigate this cause once your doctor clears you of traumatic brain injury.
To correct or avoid these types of problems, work with a neuromuscular dentist, who focuses on your entire bite rather than just the teeth.
A Beautiful Smile Restored
One of the great benefits of dental implants is that they can look just like your natural teeth. Once your teeth are replaced, no one will likely guess that you’ve gotten dental implants. If you opt not to tell them, they will think that your smile is completely natural.
To get these high-quality results, use caution when choosing your implant dentist. Find one with extensive cosmetic dentistry work, including many strong reviews and attractive before and after images.
Do You Need to Replace Lost Teeth?
Have you lost one or more teeth to an accident? If so, then you need a dentist who is fully capable of creating functional, attractive replacements with dental implants. The implant dentists at Beyond Exceptional Dentistry draw patients from across the country and around the world to enjoy beautiful smile restorations.
To learn if we’re right for you, please call (912) 234-8282 today for an appointment.
