What is a dental implant?

If you are missing a permanent tooth, odds are that your dentist has given you options for a replacement. Missing a tooth can cause other problems like shifting, super eruption, decreased chewing ability, bone loss, and the extraction of additional teeth. There are a few options for replacements, and in most cases the best option is to replace it with a dental implant.  

A dental implant is a titanium root replacement usually placed by an oral surgeon. The process works by first extracting the tooth and then screwing a titanium screw in to the bone. That will need to heal for a few months and then your general dentist will cement a permanent crown to cover the top. They look very natural have a great prognosis. 

The price of a dental implant is steep, often costing around $2,500 to $3,000 between the oral surgeon and your general dentist. Although this may seem like a lot of money, this is usually the best option and will save you money in the long run and the loss of more teeth. 

Nobel Biocare is one of the leading manufactures of dental implants, and their website has very informative graphics (like the one below) to help you better understand what they would look like once place in your mouth. If you're thinking about getting an implant I recommend viewing their website and photo gallery to help prepare yourself for the procedure.  

Photo Credit: Nobel Biocare

Tooth Tip Tuesday

For today’s oral health tip I’m going to discuss the importance of drinking H₂O. By now, you should all know how incredible water is. There are countless benefits that it has for your body, but did you know it is good for your mouth too?

Water has a pH of 7 and that just happens to be the pH your mouth works best at. Anything more basic or acidic will lead to decay and other issues.

Whenever you eat or drink your mouth fluctuates in pH level. I was taught in school that it takes your mouth  20-30 minutes to get back to a neutral level once you eat or drink. If you're sipping on Diet Coke or other acidic drinks all day long your mouth is never getting a chance to recover. When it is at that acidic state all day you're putting yourself on the fast track for decay.

We have a lot of parents come in to the office and they’re confused as to why their child has all of these cavities even though their kids brush their teeth. Most times the decay is because of the juice and sports drinks that they are consuming.

Most pop, juice, and coffee have a pH of less than 5 and your enamel begins to dissolve at 5.5. Skipping these beverages and opting for water will be beneficial to your body and your mouth.

I know most of us like to indulge in these beverages. So if you decide to have that pop make sure that you aren't sipping it all day long and have a glass of water afterward. It will not only get you hydrated, but it will also level your pH.

Here is a list of the pH level of some common beverages:

Photo Credit: Prevent Disease



 



Learn more about this topic: Wisconsin Dental Association
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