Today modern implants can address tooth loss. Should you get one?

Any tooth missing

Various circumstances can lead to the loss of a tooth. The most common causes are bacterial infections and injuries. Nonetheless, it is a problem both esthetically and for your health.

Although some people quite quickly get used to the gap and feel it won’t obstruct them, such a condition always puts a certain burden on the teeth.

“Besides the esthetic defects, a missing tooth can also cause a lot of functional problems, such as while chewing food,” explains Dr. Libor Michnal from ArtDentistic, his Bratislava dental clinic. “In the worst case, there’s the risk of bone atrophy and dentition collapse as the side and opposite teeth may move.”

Not all replacements are equal

A patient missing a tooth or several teeth can choose among several solutions, such as a conventional bridge or removable dentures.

But implantologist Libor Michna warns that, while the first alternative abrades adjacent teeth, a prosthetic implant causes problems for the tooth it replaces and also the soft and hard tissue underneath.

“This is why a dental implant is the more gentle solution,” he says. “But it is not a suitable solution for everyone, even as implantology has greatly improved in recent years.

Before turning to an implant, the dentition or any remnants of it need to be comprehensively examined alongside the oral cavity. Patients undergo a CT scan and we also monitor the condition of soft and hard tissues.”

“They need to be in satisfactory health beforehand because implantation is a surgical procedure and should be 100% thorough. There’s hope for patients suffering from periodontitis, yet while they can get help from us, our primary focus has to be on the disease itself. Only after we tackle it can we start looking at implants.”

The entire article is available at SME: https://zena.sme.sk/c/20472984/stratu-zubov-dokazu-vyriesit-moderne-implantaty-ste-vhodnymi-kandidatmi.html