Making the first step to a healthier smile
When we smile, a chemical reaction takes place within our brains which causes endorphins and serotonin to be released. These chemicals cause us to feel happy and elated, and this is typically reflected off the faces of those around us and effectively lets us spread joy every time we smile. As Spike Milligan famously wrote ‘Smiling is infectious’. However, there continues to be a potion of people out there who are continuously hiding away their smiles because of self-consciousness or embarrassment about how their smiles look. Anyone who feels this way ought to seek out a trustworthy and reputable dentist in Richmond to arrange a uniquely structured treatment plan to help improve their self-confidence as well as outward appearance.
The importance of replacing lost teeth
One of the main damaging effects on a person’s self-esteem which can cause patients to hide their smiles away is having visible gaps where they are missing teeth. Those who have visible gaps within their teeth often find it to have a negative impact on their outward confidence as well as the ability to properly enunciate or chew a great number of simple foods. In addition to the superficial impact of having one or more missing teeth, there are also several knock-on detrimental effects that it can cause. One of the most damaging of these can be the alteration of a person’s facial shape and structure. This typically happens when the affected tooth or teeth have sat untreated for a considerable length of time. If space is left within a person’s jaw, then their bodies eventually re-distribute the unstimulated bone tissue around the affected area which can often result in the entire facial structure of the patient becoming altered in such a way that they appear visibly older. The loss of the proper ability to pronounce words can also have a severely damaging effect on a person’s self-esteem and confidence.
Dental implant treatment
However, anyone who has lost a tooth can now have the space filled in a permanent and lasting way which both feels and looks identical to a natural tooth through dental implant treatment. Unlike conventional treatments for missing teeth like crowns or dental bridges, implants do not operate by sitting on the patient’s gumline, but rather are embedded within the existing bone tissue of the patient’s jaw through a small dental operation. By doing this, the implant will be permanently fixed in place to such a degree that it is as strong and durable as a natural tooth. Prior to undergoing the dental implant operation, an initial assessment of the patient’s gum and tooth health must be made, to determine whether or not they are healthy enough to carry out the process. Providing that they are however, the installation process begins with the drilling of a hole into the patient’s jawbone within the space where the implant will be placed. Into this hole, a titanium-alloy false tooth root is then embedded deeply, and covered up to heal. Thereafter follows a brief healing period in which the titanium-alloy metal within the false tooth-root and the natural bone tissue within the patient’s jawbone merge together. After this fusion has been completed, the false tooth-root can be used as a permanently embedded anchor-point to which a replica denture is then fixed in place and space is effectively, permanently, and comfortably filled for years to come.