While dental implants are certainly great, it isn’t to the point that “one size fits all.” How many posts you should get will depend on your smile’s health and various other factors. That said, you’d do well to confirm the number of dental implants you need before your treatment. Your Jonesboro practice will even help you do so, thus ensuring your surgery goes well. Just keep reading to learn how many dental implants you may need to fully restore your grin.
Note How Many Teeth You’ve Lost
To a large extent, the number of implants you should get depends on how many teeth you’ve lost. Treatment varies based on whether you’re missing one, several, or all pearly whites. As for the specifics, consider the scenarios below:
You’re Missing One Tooth
A patient lacking one tooth only requires a single implant (and crown). Each post acts as a viable substitute, so greater numbers aren’t necessary and won’t help. The post’s titanium will fuse with your jaw’s bone tissue, serving as the “root” of your new replacement tooth.
You’re Missing a Few Teeth
If you’ve lost several teeth, get two implants (at a minimum) in the form of an implant bridge. The latter device would fuse your posts to either side of a pontic (i.e., an artificial tooth) to fill your smile gap. In doing so, it’d restore your smile more stably than a traditional dental bridge could. The implant bridge wouldn’t even need to alter your existing teeth, either; it’d leave the rest of your mouth alone.
You’re Missing All Your Teeth
It’s best to get four to six implants when you’ve lost all your teeth. In that scenario, multiple posts would work as core parts of a full implant denture. Such a prosthetic could restore an entire arch of teeth at once, quickly making an empty grin nice and full. Note, though, that you ought to see a qualified surgeon for the placement process.
Get More Details from Your Dentist
Aside from noting your missing teeth, you can also confirm how many implants you need by asking your dentist. They’ll examine your mouth closely and suggest a suitable number based on their findings.
A well-trained dentist has advanced dental implant expertise. Given that fact, they can gauge the severity of your tooth loss to see how many posts you should get. They can also take dental X-rays to check your jaw’s density, which affects the number you can “handle.”
After learning the number of dental implants you need, you can pursue treatment. You’ll then get the full smile of your dreams!
About the Author
Dr. Shane Smith is a dentist based in Jonesboro, AR, having earned his DDS from the University of Tennessee’s Health Science Center. Years of schooling and “field work” grant him expertise in preventive, cosmetic, and even restorative dentistry, as well as emergency dental care. He and his team are thus ready and eager to address any need your grin might have. Today, Dr. Smith practices at his self-titled clinic and is reachable on his website and by phone at (870)-932-2644.