Whether through accident or ill health, a missing tooth can be a very distressing dental problem. It can negatively impact both your self-esteem and your day-to-day life. Losing your front teeth, in particular, can make you feel extremely self-conscious when you smile or talk, while the loss of back teeth can seriously impede your chewing function. At Sleep Dentistry Melbourne, we offer a number of professional tooth replacement options to help you get back your smile.
What happens to your gums, jawbone and face when you lose a tooth?
The loss of a tooth can lead to further dental complications in the rest of the mouth. That’s because without the tooth, the surrounding bone and gum are no longer supported. This can cause your jawbone to shrink and your gum to recede, which, in turn, can cause neighbouring teeth to weaken.
Unfortunately, missing teeth can actually change your facial structure too, altering your overall appearance. Without stimulation, the alveolar bone that supports your teeth may lose volume, which will destabilise the entire structure of the jaw. And, as the jawbones diminish, cheeks may become hallowed, and the face can begin to collapse. These facial changes are most common in those who have a lot of missing teeth for a long time, and they can age your appearance significantly.
How we can help
Whether you’re missing a single tooth or you’ve lost all of your teeth, here at Sleep Dentistry Melbourne, we can help. We offer a range of tooth replacement options and can fit you with realistic dental implants that look and feel just like your own teeth.
Dental implants
Dental implants are a great solution for patients with missing teeth, and are suitable for most adults with good general health. At Sleep Dentistry Melbourne, we offer both single-tooth replacement as well as complete replacement of your upper and lower arch.
Treatment takes place either under local anaesthetic at the Sleep Dentistry clinic or under general anaesthetic in the hospital. A qualified prosthodontist or oral maxillofacial surgeon will perform the surgical parts of the procedure.
What are some of the key benefits of dental implants?
- They look and feel like your own teeth.
- They’re easier to maintain than dentures, which means fewer visits to the dentist in the future.
- They won’t fall out or move when you’re eating or laughing.
What are dental implants made of?
There are several different types of dental implants, but all consist of a titanium screw fixture that is fitted into the bone. This screw is attached to a piece of metal that sits above the gum, and a ceramic or porcelain crown is fixed on top.
What types of dental implants are there?
At Sleep Dentistry Melbourne, we offer a range of different types of dental implants and implantation procedures. We’ll determine which implant is right for you after a consultation, taking into consideration the size of your jawbone and the location of your missing teeth. Our range of dental implants include:
- Standard or conventional dental implants. These can be used for single or multiple-tooth replacement.
- Immediate implants. These offer a quick, durable and affordable solution for those who have broken a tooth or are undergoing an extraction. They can often be fitted in a single appointment.
- Full-arch implants. These are for patients that require most or all of their remaining teeth in one or both arches to be replaced.
If you’re missing a tooth, contact us for a clinical consultation and to learn more about the different types of dental implants we offer. Give us a call on 1300 275 337, and we’ll be happy to discuss your tooth replacement options.
