People, intrinsically, know keeping teeth healthy is important. Fear of breaking teeth and dreams associated with tooth loss fill anxiety dreams.
Teeth, despite our hopes, don’t last forever. After age 9 issues with permanent teeth accelerate quickly. Statistics show that 30 percent of children have dental caries. By the age of 50, 94 percent of people have something which has decayed and needs serious work.
Even those genetically gifted in the tooth department face issues from the injury. Injury to teeth requires immediate care to ensure damage doesn’t spread.
With all these dangers, odds are good you will need a tooth fixed. Let’s look at the qualities of getting a crown vs implant when that time comes.
Crown vs Implant
Once decay hits an advanced stage, replacement and repair become necessary. This quick rundown will give you the inside scoop on what each option provides.
Crown Pros
A crown sits on top of your existing tooth and protects it from further damage. Despite the name indicating something that sits on top, it covers all the way around. A crown is basically a phone case for your tooth.
Made of ceramics or porcelain, a crown lats a long while and adds strength to the teeth below.
In cases of damage across an area, fixed bridge crowns exist. These can fill in one to two tooth gaps and provide a natural look and strength to the bite.
Crowns cost more than something like a filling but less than an implant.
Crown Cons
The downside of a crown is the durability. Crowns may be strong, but they are not as strong as teeth. They slip over time which can push teeth and interrupt the line of your bite.
While this takes years, decades even, to occur, it is still a problem that requires adjustments.
Implant Pros
An plant is a two-step procedure. First, a dentist attaches a metal post (most often titanium) to the jawbone. This provides an anchor for the tooth proxy the dentist adds in the second step.
Thanks to the process of osteointegration, cells in the jawbone fuse to the post making it a part of your jaw. This helps the jawbone remain healthy and protects other teeth in the process.
A second type of implant, called subperiosteal, doesn’t invade the jawbone. This type of implant uses a metal frame on the gum line. This also fuses over time, but along the top line, not inside. Postes then attach to the frame.
Subperiosteal implants allow for fixed bridges to be built in conjunction with other existing teeth.
Implant Cons
The largest con for getting dental implants is cost. Between the materials being used and that it is a process requiring two surgeries, the costs stack up.
Keep on Smiling
No matter which option you choose in the fight between crown vs implant, know you aren’t alone. Despite the frequency, these procedures are needed, our dental implants Chattanooga dentist hope you avoid them. As always, start young and stay strong with tips like these.
Contact us for an appointment and find out what we can do to help keep you smiling for years to come.