At Harmony Dental Care, the cosmetic, restorative, and general dentistry practice of Dr. Kalil Abide, we offer a comprehensive range of dental services designed to help patients maintain the health of their teeth and gums. When patients do have dental problems, we do whatever we can to restore form, function, and health to their mouths. This includes offering state-of-the-art dental implants to patients who are missing one or more of their natural teeth.
When salvaging a patient’s natural tooth is a viable option, we always take that route; however, there are occasions when tooth extraction is in the best interests of the patient under the circumstances. When this is the case, we also provide the patient with a treatment plan to replace the missing tooth. A missing tooth should be replaced as soon as possible, preferably by an implant-supported restoration. Dr. Abide discusses the benefits of having dental implants placed after tooth extraction during consultations at his Jackson, MS practice so that patients can make confident, informed decisions about how to proceed with their treatments.
When Is Tooth Extraction Necessary?
Whenever it is possible to salvage a natural tooth, Dr. Abide will do so. When a natural tooth is lost, the body interprets this loss as a signal that the bone and gum tissues that once supported the tooth are no longer serving any essential purpose. As a result, these tissues no longer receive any of the body’s vital resources and begin to deteriorate. Simultaneously, the teeth adjacent to the gap once occupied by the missing tooth begin to drift out of their optimal positions. If a single missing tooth triggers this chain of events, imagine the havoc multiple missing teeth can wreak.
This is why Dr. Abide will recommend tooth extraction only in cases in which the tooth absolutely cannot be salvaged or will only create further oral health problems if it remains in place. However, upon extraction, the tooth will need to be replaced as soon as possible. The optimal method of replacing a missing tooth is with an implant-supported restoration.
Implant-supported Dental Restorations
Often, tooth extraction is performed in conjunction with dental implant surgery. Whether Dr. Abide removes a single tooth and replaces it with a single implant-supported crown, or he removes multiple teeth and replaces them with a full set of implant-supported dentures, dental implants are the strongest, most stable, and most durable form of tooth replacement currently available.
Dental implants are titanium posts that serve as artificial tooth roots when surgically embedded into the jaw. Because the human body does not recognize titanium as a foreign substance, it is unlikely to reject the implants. Just as importantly, the implants therefore halt the bone degradation process that occurs as soon as teeth are lost.
Learn More about Dental Implants after Tooth Extraction
To learn more about dental implants after tooth extraction, or to schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Abide, please contact our cosmetic, restorative, and general dentistry practice today.