The average American between the ages of 20 and 64 has 25.5 teeth, whereas adults should have 32, including wisdom teeth.
The rise of dental implants — small titanium posts placed in your jawbone that act as tooth roots with abutments attached for restorations — has provided patients with missing teeth a permanent treatment option that offers many benefits, including the prevention of speech challenges, decay, tooth shifting, and bone loss. Additionally, implants balance the force in your bite.
Often, a crown is connected to the top of the implant with a small device called an abutment, or if a patient receives more than one implant, the restoration might be a bridge.
Once they receive their implant, many patients ask whether a crown is truly necessary to complete the treatment. Here, we’ll delve into the pros and cons of getting — or forgoing — a crown.
At Expressions in Dentistry, our accomplished and caring dental team has extensive experience with both dental implant and crown placement, and they’re ready to answer all your questions and concerns related to this innovative treatment option.
In addition, we serve patients by offering routine dental care, wisdom teeth removal, teeth whitening, sleep apnea treatment, and more.
We noted some of the strong benefits of dental implants earlier, but you may wonder what other treatment options patients consider for smile gaps. They might opt for a bridge, which is a permanent restoration for a gap, or they might select removable dentures.
However, more and more people are going with dental implants because of how they support jaw and dental health, as well as the fact that they’re natural looking and permanent (they can’t loosen and fall out like a bridge, and you don’t have to worry about taking them out and putting them in repeatedly, like dentures).
When you come to Expressions in Dentistry to get a dental implant, the process is streamlined and comfortable.
After the minor surgery your dentist performs to place your implant, a few months are needed for your jawbone to surround and fuse with your implant.
Although getting a dental implant is a multi-stepped process, it’s well worth the outcome — and it’s important to see the restoration process through after getting your implant. In many cases, this is the step in which your provider will attach a crown to your implant, which finally fills that gap.
If you don't commit to this pivotal step, you risk squandering one of the implant’s most significant pluses — the fact that it acts as a strong and stable foundation for your crown when it’s placed over the abutment (the small component that’s attached to the top of your implant). Without the implant, your crown just sits on top of your gum.
Without your crown, you just have a gap. It’s the crown that:
Think of getting your crown restoration as an essential part of the gap-filling process — your crown is the jelly to your implant’s peanut butter!
Rest assured that if you choose Expressions in Dentistry for your dental implant procedure and crown restoration, you’ll receive unmatched care. Our team members consider themselves your care partners, and we’re here when you need us — even in an emergency.
Contact our Folsom office at 916-983-6767 to schedule an appointment for your implant procedure or learn more about it, or book one online.
