Dental implants are very long-lasting restorations. They can be lifetime, in fact. But here at Beyond Exceptional Dentistry in Hilton Head, we know that exceptional longevity isn’t enough for our patients. You want to make sure that the restoration also looks beautiful.
And that’s what dental implants are designed to do, and what we strive to achieve for our patients: dental implants that maintain their beauty and function for years, even decades.
Beautiful, Durable Crowns
The visible part on top of a dental implant has the same name as the visible part of your tooth: the crown. And just as it has the same name as your tooth, it has the same appearance. A single crown on top of a dental implant can look just like your natural tooth. The ceramic is designed to have the same shading translucency as your natural teeth, giving the appropriate appearance of depth and layering. This completely conceals the fact that below the gums there is not a natural tooth root but a titanium replacement root. So the replacement tooth looks so much like natural teeth that even dentists may not be able to tell the difference just by looking. We make sure the initial appearance of your dental crown is beautiful.
Dental crowns can maintain this appearance because we make sure the fit is optimal and minimizes the stress on the implant and on your natural tooth. In addition, the dental crown is made of an advanced ceramic that is very durable, capable of enduring the force required to chew all foods. The crown is also highly resistant to staining. The glaze makes the crown non-porous so stains just wash off the outside, and even acidic foods and drinks don’t damage the crown.
Bridges and Dentures That Last
Short dental bridges benefit from the same advantages as single crowns, but larger implant dentures may have different challenges. Dentures are sometimes made of two different types of materials, for cosmetic reasons. To ensure that these dentures maintain their appearance, we have to make sure that the base material is strong, such as high-density PMMA. Low-density PMMA used in cheap dentures is more likely to break, wear, stain, and acquire odors.
Ceramic teeth can be used in dentures, too, and they gain the benefits of the beauty and durability of these advanced materials.
Maintaining Gum Tissue
Of course, dental implants represent a tight merging of your tissue and the prosthetic. Your bone grows around and attaches to the implant root. This provides functional stability and longevity, but for beauty we’re more concerned about how the soft tissue will grow up to and around the dental crown.
We use best practices to cultivate and maintain your natural teeth during the dental implant procedure. This ensures that your dental implant will have a beautiful initial appearance. But to maintain that appearance means that you have to take care of your gums.
We’ll give you detailed instructions about how to care for your implants and the tissue around them. It’s mostly just brushing, flossing, and making your regular dental visits, but there may be some slightly different techniques to ensure you get it as clean as possible. If you keep the implant clean, there will be minimal loss of gum tissue around the implant itself. As long as your gums stay healthy, your implant will look attractive.
Are You Looking for Attractive, Long-Lasting Implants?
If you have a gap in your smile, wear dentures, or are facing the loss of your teeth, dental implants are the best option for most people. They’re the most functional and the most attractive way to replace lost teeth. To learn whether dental implants are right for you, please call (843) 706-2999 today for an appointment with an implant dentist at Beyond Exceptional Dentistry, serving patients in the Hilton Head area.
