Replacement of missing teeth with dental implants

"Well, I didn’t have the money before to fix that tooth.  Now I wish I never had it pulled!"  Unfortunately we hear this type of comment at University Associates in Dentistry more often than you would think.

The positive aspect to this is that with advancements in dentistry, a replacement option that is similar to the original tooth is possible.  Dental implants provide this option to patients that have lost their tooth or teeth.  At University Associates in Dentistry, Dr. Delfs and her surgeon have had the experience to make this as simple as possible for the patient. 

The fear of surgery should not preclude you from replacing your missing tooth.  Dr. Delfs will explain that teeth will drift and tip into a space that is created by missing teeth.  Waiting too long can make this problem of a missing tooth into a more complicated problem with badly aligned teeth. Just like two gears of a car that are not properly aligned, pretty soon you've got a whole lot of problems.

Our philosophy is not to wait until a problem escalates and to treat a problem when it is small and less complicated to treat.  One of the options we often discuss at University Associates in Dentistry would be a dental implant. This is the replacement of a tooth with a false root that is surgically placed.  Dr. Delfs then carefully constructs a dental crown to replace the missing tooth, to prevent teeth from shifting and thereby causing further tooth loss.