Signs It's Time to Consider Dental Implants

By the time you get to the end of this post, you may realize you’re a serious candidate for a dental implant. If that’s the case, you’ll join 3 million others in the United States with at least one implant — a number that grows by 500,000 people every year.

A dental implant is the gold standard for addressing a missing tooth. It consists of a titanium post inserted into your jawbone to serve as a replacement tooth root. A crown is then added atop the implant to replace the part of your tooth that people can see. 

Here at Smile Design Manhattan in the Midtown West neighborhood of New York City, we specialize in installing implants, but we don’t use them unless you really need one. Here are a few signs that it’s time for you to consider a dental implant.

Missing teeth

That's the most obvious sign you need an implant. If you’re missing a tooth (or several), an implant is usually the best way to replace it. An implant boosts your oral health and smile, and people won’t notice the implant because the crown matches your natural teeth.

Cracked, chipped, or broken teeth

Teeth that are severely cracked, chipped, or broken can’t always be saved, and implants may be the best option. We try to preserve your natural tooth whenever possible, but if the damage is too extensive, the tooth must be extracted and replaced.

Dentures that are slipping

Loose-fitting dentures or partial dentures that move around your mouth during the day can require messy adhesive to hold in place. Plus, you have to remove them frequently for cleaning. You can avoid worrying about dentures slipping by replacing them with implants.

Bone loss

Tooth roots stimulate jawbone growth. When a tooth is missing, a lack of stimulation in the area causes the bone tissue to erode. That can lead to a sunken face, a telltale sign of missing teeth. Implants go into your jawbone, stimulating continued growth.

Infected teeth

If you have an infected tooth where the infection has spread, the damage to the tooth pulp may be too severe for a root canal. In this case, an implant can replace the tooth. Once the implant is in place, you can maintain the condition of the implant with your standard oral hygiene routine.

If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of a dental implant, our expert team at Smile Design Manhattan is happy to help. Call our Manhattan office at 646-278-4579 today to schedule a consultation.