Your Santa Barbara Cosmetic Dentist Can Save That Smile

Over the years, cosmetic dentistry has gotten a reputation for being on the more frivolous side of the industry. Most people hear the words cosmetic dentistry and picture vapid Hollywood celebrities with cookie-cutter super white grins. Words like healthy and natural don’t enter the picture. But the Santa Barbara cosmetic dentistry industry would like to remind everyone that restorative dentistry, such as replacing lost or damaged teeth, giving smiles new life through implants, bridges and dentures, also fall under the wide, multi-colored umbrella of cosmetic dentistry. And while we all admire a nice, even, unstained smile, the days when looks were the sole focus of cosmetic dentistry techniques are long gone. Today’s doctors are more concerned with preserving and enhancing the overall health and longevity of your smile, and of all the tooth replacement options on the market, dental implants are the best way to ensure that.

Tooth Replacement Structures, Past and Present

In days gone by, dental crowns or bridges were considered the obvious choice for replacing lost or irrevocably damaged teeth. And as far as cosmetic replacements go, they did pretty well. However, over time doctors realized that the traditional method of simply seating prosthetic teeth against the gum didn’t actually replace all that the original teeth did for their patients. You see, our natural teeth don’t simply sit beneath the gums, and chewing isn’t their only important task. That’s because bone is not a dead or static material. Much like muscle, it needs constant and active stimulation to maintain form and density. The jawbone gets this stimulation from your teeth. Every time you actively use your teeth, force stimulation is transmitted via tooth roots, which are embedded into your jawbone. Tooth replacements which simply sit below the gums do not transmit this force, and loss of jawbone mass is inevitable.

Today, Santa Barbara cosmetic dentists recommend dental implants, or dental implant supported bridges and dentures, over the more traditional models. Dental implants actually recreate the tooth root connected through a prosthetic titanium root that’s embedded into your jawbone. This allows them to not only look identical to your original teeth, but to fully function like them as well. Since they are securely embedded in your jawbone, dental structures like bridges and dentures can be attached to them without having to carve away healthy original teeth, which is another health bonus.

Without the stimulation dental implants can provide, the decreasing jawbone mass caused by tooth loss can lead to distressing conditions such as sagging facial muscles, nerve pain and disorders, jaw and joint pain, migraine headaches, gum disease, and escalating tooth loss. Contrary to popular belief, tooth loss is not a natural symptom of aging. Properly maintained, your teeth should remain healthy and intact for your entire lifetime. It’s actually escalating tooth loss related to lack of jawbone stimulation that causes many older people to need dentures. So next time you need a tooth replacement, ask your santa barbara cosmetic dentist about dental implants. A small investment now can give you a smile that lasts a lifetime.

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