Everyone hopes that his or her natural teeth will last a lifetime. However, approximately 69 percent of patients between the ages of 35 and 44 have lost one or more teeth. By the time patients turn 74, about 26 percent have lost all of their permanent teeth. While gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss among adults, other common causes include cavities and accidents resulting in patients needing at least one tooth restored.
Missing teeth damage the aesthetics of a patient’s smile and his or her oral health. When a restoration is not placed, the remaining teeth begin to drift. This can result in a misaligned bite, pockets that can trap plaque resulting in cavities, the development of gum disease, and the potential loss of more teeth.
When it comes to dental restorations patients generally are presented with two or three options. If the patient is missing multiple teeth, a partial denture may be listed as a restoration option in addition to fixed dental bridges and dental implants. The later options can be used to replace a single tooth or multiple teeth. All three can prevent the healthy teeth from shifting but dental implants are frequently the preferred restoration method.
Dental implants are placed in the jawbone during a simple surgery that normally only requires local anesthetic. After they are placed, the jawbone will fuse to them in a process called osseointegration. This can take three to six months to complete, and the implant will be as strong as a tooth root. A dental crown can then be placed on it, or if a pair was placed, a dental bridge can complete the restoration.
Dental implants offer patients a number of benefits including:
The loss of a tooth can be devastating to your self-confidence, but Eastland Dental Center can provide you with a restoration that looks so natural no one will know that it is, in fact, a restoration. If you want to replace a missing tooth with a dental implant, call Eastland Dental Center’s office at (309) 663-4711 and schedule your appointment.
Eastland Dental Center is owned and operated by the father-daughter duo, Dr. Mike Milligan and Dr. Marisa Milligan.
Dr. Mike completed his doctor of dental medicine degree from Southern Illinois University in 1978. Dr. Marisa completed her doctor of dental medicine degree from Midwestern University in 2015. Both doctors have logged hundreds of hours of continuing education to stay on top of the latest technologies in dentistry as well as the most current research on the oral-systemic, mouth-body connection to benefit their patients. Dr. Mike and Dr. Marisa are active members and in excellent standing with the American Dental Association, Illinois State Dental Association, Chicago Dental Society, McLean County Dental Association, American Academy of Oral Systemic Health, and numerous other societies.
Both doctors are avid golfers and have won several national golf tournaments over the years. They are the only father-daughter team in the state to have won the Illinois State Amateur Golf Championship. Dr. Mike in 1974 and Dr. Marisa in 2005.
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