Dental Implants: The Myths and The Truth
Dr. James Wells is a Dentist practicing in Morehead City, NC. Dr. Wells specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases and conditions associated with the mouth and overall dental health. Dentists are trained to carry out such treatment as professional cleaning, restorative, prosthodontic, and endodontic procedures,... more
Many times during the course of a day when doing exams on my patients with missing teeth, I normally get the question..."Hey doc, how can I replace my missing teeth?" To that I often answer, "Well, dental implants are a great option." The next thing I usually get is: 1) they hurt! or do they hurt? 2) they are expensive 3) and finally, that scares me to think about having an implant, does it set off alarms at the airport?
Debunking The Myths
I encourage everyone who is considering having implants to replace missing teeth to not hesitate. To debunk some of these myths, dental implants do not hurt and if done properly have a wonderful success rate. After I finish the implant placement, many patients say, "Really! We are done?! That was easy! Also, many patients say that getting the tooth out was the worst part. In my office I do a fully guided implant placement which allows me to place the implant confidently. Often taking less time than what it takes to do a filling.
The affordability of dental implants is becoming better and better. I know many dentists who have a package deal to include the implant, abutment, and crown for a reasonable fee. With the popularity of implants, the prices are coming down, and I anticipate it to keep falling.
Finally, implants can allow us to restore your teeth in many different ways. We can use implants to help attach your dentures that are loose and sliding around. This can make a huge difference to a patient who relies on denture adhesives daily. We can also use dental implants to support bridges, and to replace multiple missing teeth.
The Truth
Dental implants have become an extremely valuable tool for dentists. At this point, they remain to be the best option to replace missing teeth. The next time your dentist recommends having an implant, don't buy into the horror stories, just go for it!
James McSherry Wells III DDS
