Did you know that plenty of celebrities get aesthetically-pleasing replacements for their teeth on the regular? It’s no wonder so many of them have jaw-droppingly perfect smiles. Dental implants are for more than just replacing a lost or damaged tooth—they can be tooth implants that look just like the real deal when you’re trying to fix an unsightly snaggle tooth. Welcome to the wide world of cosmetic dentistry. A beautiful smile is so much more than just appearance, and it has innumerable benefits.
The Benefits of Cosmetic Implants
Realistic-looking dental implants offer a number of benefits for patients who are seeking a more symmetrical, curated smile. Cosmetic replacement teeth have a natural appearance—there’s virtually no distinguishing them from the real thing, and the texture and feel is uncannily similar to an actual tooth.
The most obvious benefit is a major boost in confidence. If you’ve struggled in the past to accept your smile as it is, whether it’s due to a couple crooked teeth that didn’t warrant braces, major staining and discoloration, or other reasons, pearly white dental implants restore your self-confidence in full. Missing or damaged teeth can make for patients who have difficulty smiling or laughing in social situations—not because they can’t, but rather because they’re highly self-conscious about their teeth. Well-constructed dental implants that mimic the look and feel of real teethcan help.
The other major upside of cosmetic dental implants is that they last for a long time. Like an upwards of 30 years long time. With proper care of their implants, we’ve even seen patients whose faux teeth replacements last them a lifetime.
Getting High-Quality Dental Implants Installed
Obtaining dental implants that transform your smile isn’t hard by any means. Like most other oral procedures performed by dental surgeons, it all starts with a consultation. Your local oral surgeon will sit down with you as you tell them what you’re hoping to gain for your smile. They’ll outline a plan and walk you through what the steps will be and what to expect for your oral surgery that’ll give you cosmetic tooth replacements.
When the big day comes around and you get to sit down in the chair while your experienced dental surgeon installs your new chompers, you can expect a few things:
- Anesthesia – an anesthetic used in oral surgeries will be administered prior to the procedure.
- Incision – an incision will be made on the gum tissue around where the implant is set to go.
- Jawbone prep – your surgeon prepares the jawbone to receive the implant. All this involves is a small pilot hole drilled into the bone to allow it to receive the implant.
- Implant placement – the implant—or rather the titanium screw post—is inserted into the pilot hole that was drilled into the jawbone.
- Stitches – the incision is sewn back together with the aid of stitches.
It’s actually pretty simple. The whole procedure of getting new, long-lasting tooth implants doesn’t take long at all—only around 30 minutes to an hour in most cases. For the amount of difference an implant can make, that’s barely any time at all. After the procedure, your dental surgeon will give you a detailed aftercare sheet that outlines what you’ll need to watch out for while the surgical wound heals. Every aftercare sheet will look a bit different, but in general, you can expect to do the following:
- Avoid strenuous activity
- Rinse your mouth with a saltwater solution twice a day
- Eat soft foods for a period of time following the operation
- Take any medication your surgeon has prescribed
Following the instructions as closely as possible will greatly reduce the chance of infection or complications post-operation.
Make sure those new titanium tooth replacements last for a while too. With proper oral care and routine checkups with your dentist, that implant can last ages. This means regularly brushing and flossing twice a day and receiving cleanings at least twice a year from your dentist. Avoid biting down onto hard food with your implant—this puts extra stress on it and can lead to degradation in its quality over time.
Remember—dental implants aren’t always for those who have missing or damaged teeth. If you’re looking to enhance your existing smile, they can be wonderful alternatives to the real thing, and they’ll last decades with proper care.
