What are the advantages of dental implants?

Implant dentistry provides many advantages over dentures and bridges, including:

• • Dental implants arepreventative. They can prevent the bone loss and gum recession that often occurs with bridgework and dentures.
  
• • Dental implants arecost effective. Since one tooth is replaced instead of the several necessary to install a bridge, dental implants can actually cost less than traditional bridgework.
• • Dental implants areconservative. Unlike traditional bridges, adjacent teeth are not needed to support the implant. This means that the adjacent teeth do not have to be ground down to support crowns like they do for conventional bridges. Your own natural teeth are not compromised.
• • Dental implants arecomfortable. Dental implants function very similar to your natural teeth and are comfortable and stable. This eliminates some of the key problems of dentures including poor fit, gum irritation and pain from nerve compression.
• • Dental implants arereliable. Dental implants are highly predictable - there are no embarrassing prosthetics that slip or cause speech impediments.
• • Dental implants are cosmeticallyesthetic. Implant supported crowns look and feel like your own natural teeth.
• • Dental implants arepreservative. Missing teeth cause bone shrinkage, which can result in a receding jaw line and change in facial structure. Dental implants help prevent deterioration of the jawbone so the patient's face retains its natural shape and appearance.