Individual Dental Implants

Replacing Several Missing Teeth With Individual Dental Implants

Natural teeth are stable surfaces because their roots are anchored and supported by the jawbone surrounding them. Dental implants are designed to function the same way: they replace the root and work much like the roots of a natural tooth. 

Using individual dental implants to fix multiple missing teeth has numerous benefits. Periodontists use dental implants to replace a single missing tooth or multiple missing teeth. A dental implant is a tiny titanium screw, a biocompatible metal that helps heal the bone tissue and form a new stable tooth root.

What Are Dental Implants?

Made from titanium or zirconia, which are biocompatible materials for the human body, a dental implant is an artificial tooth root that, while healing, naturally integrates into the jawbone where it is placed. A porcelain or ceramic crown is then set to replace the missing natural tooth.

Just as a dental implant can be used for replacing a natural tooth or another implant, several implants can be installed individually to replace several missing teeth. A single dental implant is placed in the location of each missing tooth. But what advantages does this method offer patients, and what are the downsides?

Benefits of Individual Dental Implants

Individual dental implants are the ideal solution for several reasons:

1. If the patient wants to have several teeth replaced with implants, fixed dentures or implants offer the safest and most advanced option.
2. Dental implants come closest to natural teeth and offer a high level of comfort and safety, which increases well-being and quality of life.
3. Dental implants offer the most comfortable and permanent solution to missing teeth, providing peace of mind and self-confidence for those who have lost one or more teeth.
4. Implant-supported crowns or dentures can be attractive, stable, and comfortable for almost any patient. Also, dental implants have a very high success rate and can last a lifetime if good oral hygiene is maintained.
5. Individual dental implants can be maintained just like your natural teeth – with a toothbrush and floss. Many people often want fixed teeth, not prostheses that they must remove to clean.
6. Dental implants offer excellent chewing ability, thanks to the stability they give to the replacement tooth or prosthesis. Patients with dental implants can eat the foods they enjoy in addition to smiling, laughing, and talking as if they were their natural teeth.
7. With a single dental implant, shaving down and compromising the adjacent teeth is not necessary. Therefore, dental implants are less invasive compared to a fixed dental bridge.
8. Dental implants are a durable replacement option. When the patient maintains them well, they can remain in place for several decades.
9. Dental implants act as a root to prevent future jawbone deterioration as it integrates with the bone. Therefore, the dental implant preserves the entirety of the jawbone, which is not the case for other bridges and prostheses, which, in addition, must be replaced after about ten years on average, causing other expenses.
10. Aesthetically, dental implants give a very natural appearance to a smile. No one will be able to tell that it is a replacement tooth.

Disadvantages Of Replacing Missing Teeth With Individual Dental Implants

Of course, individual dental implants have their downsides, the most considerable of which are:

1. Individual dental implants cost more than a dental bridge that can cover three teeth, costing around $2,000 to $5,000. Therefore, dental implants are best used for a single missing tooth.
2. Replacing multiple teeth with individual dental implants can take time.