Not having teeth or missing some of your teeth can be one of the most self-esteem-affecting dental conditions a person can have. According to the American College of Prosthodontics:
“More than 36 million Americans do not have any teeth, and 120 million people in the U.S. are missing at least one tooth.”

Thanks to modern dental technology, restoring your smile is more possible than ever with dental implants and other restoration procedures. Here is a look at the treatments available to help you restore your teeth so you can feel confident about smiling again.

Endosteal Dental Implants

Endosteal dental implants are implanted directly into the jawbone and act as support for either bridges or dentures. Endosteal implants can be made out of several different types of fixtures, and the bones of the jaw must be in good health for the implants to be successful.

People who have issues with their dentures staying firmly seated are good candidates for this type of restoration. The advantages of endosteal dental implants include the facts that the implant usually fuses with the jaw bone for a mostly permanent setting, and a few implants can support a full set of dentures or bridges of multiple teeth

Subperiosteal Dental Implants

Subperiosteal implants are the most common type of dental implants used when placing individual prosthetic teeth in place. These implants don’t actually get implanted into the bone; they rest on top of the bone instead.

A protruding screw or abutment protrudes above the gum line so the new prosthetics can be placed. Subperiosteal dental implants can be used to replace just one or a few missing teeth, but they can also be used to create an entire set of teeth.

If there are teeth missing from your smile, there’s no need to continue to hide your smile from the world when there are so many restoration options available. If you would like to know more about dental implants or smile restoration, reach out to us at Mason Dental Center in San Antonio, Texas.