Losing teeth is not a new problem in human history. Researchers have found a wide variety of teeth replacements going back thousands of years.

If you need new teeth, you have better options than ever before. You can get dental implants to support your restorations. Whether you need to replace a single tooth or every single one of your teeth, you can do it. Implants can make your replacement teeth function as well as the real thing.

Give yourself a complete smile again. Call 253-999-9419 to schedule an appointment at Smith & Wetterhus Dentistry in Puyallup, WA. Discover the right option to rebuild your oral health.

Out With the Old

People have tried all kinds of things to restore the appearance of their smiles and the function of their missing teeth. At different times and places, people have tried seashells, stones, animal teeth, and bones.

President George Washington famously had a set of false teeth as well. While there is a myth that his teeth were made of wood, in reality, he had the finest fake teeth possible in his day. On the day of his inauguration, he wore a set of dentures made of hippopotamus ivory and human teeth.

While the material used to make dentures has improved tremendously, many of the issues Washington experienced continue with modern dentures.

Traditional dentures rest over the gums. As a result, they don’t provide direct stimulation to the jawbone. As a result, the jaw can begin to lose bone density. That changes the shape of the jaw, which changes the shape of the mouth. This can cause dentures to feel looser and possibly become uncomfortable over time. This is why dentures frequently need to be relined or replaced.

In With the New

A new era of teeth replacements started with an accidental discovery in the early 1950s. Dr. Per-Ingvar Brånemark found that titanium rods bonded to the bones of a rabbit’s leg. He had placed these rods as part of a study on blood flow. Instead, he found that the rods could not be removed.

This got him thinking about a practical application of this information. With the help of a team of experts, he developed what is considered the first modern dental implants.

These implants function as artificial roots. They are placed directly in the jawbone, where they anchor restorations (crowns, bridges, and dentures) to the jaw. Because of this direct connection, your teeth replacements do stimulate your jaw when you bite and chew. This means your jaw creates new bone tissue, which prevents the loss of bone density.

The Bottom Line

You want your new teeth to feel like a natural part of your mouth. You want to have a complete smile. You want to speak naturally and normally. You also want to know that you can bite and chew anything that you choose to eat.

With dental implants, you can have all of those things. Call 253-999-9419 or fill out our online form to visit Smith & Wetterhus Dentistry in Puyallup, WA.