Dr. Alan Stern Interview on Dental Implants
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What you see of your teeth is called the crown of the tooth. That part of the tooth is anchored into your gum and bone by roots. When you lose a tooth, you need to anchor something back into your gum.
A dental implant is like an artificial root. It’s an artificial foundation on which a prosthetic or artificial tooth can be placed.
A dental implant is one half of the picture.
What sort of process is involved in replacing a missing tooth?
First, the implant, or root, is placed by our surgical team. Three months later, an artificial tooth is screwed into the implant/. The process is very simple. And most people report little or no discomfort even after the surgical phase!
Why would anyone want a dental implant over other available solutions?
A dental implant is state of the art. There is no need to touch the teeth next to the missing space vacated by the missing tooth. And they’re highly predictable- the success rate of dental implants is over 95%!
I’m missing a tooth. I don’t have any pain. Why should I bother to replace it?
Number one. Your mouth is built to hold 28 teeth. And those teeth are there to serve a mechanical purpose that is chewing. If you lose one or more teeth, that means you have fewer teeth to do the work that 28 teeth were meant to do. That means that the remaining teeth will be overworked. They’ll be subject to increased wear, breakage and more tooth loss. It’s like going on a downhill spiral.
Number two.. If a tooth is missing, the teeth above/below or on on either side of the space will drift right toward that missing tooth and will tip. Tipped teeth break more easily and can cause TMJ issues.
Dental implants are the simplest and least invasive way to permanently replace missing teeth
What about for the back teeth?
So, those back teeth that no one can see are designed to do a lot of crushing with a lot of power. When you’re missing back teeth, you’re losing an awful lot of function and you’re putting huge strain on the remaining teeth.