Do you think you need dental implants? Implants act as an anchor, replacing the root to hold in a crown. If you're not sure whether you need or could benefit from an implant, take a look at the questions to ask right now.

1. Do You Have Missing Teeth?

A missing tooth may not seem like a major dental dilemma. But the space the tooth (or a few teeth) leaves behind can cause problems. Without enough support, the neighboring teeth could shift. This may throw off your bite or result in crooked teeth. Along with the aesthetics of this type of issue, shifting or crooked teeth can make it difficult to speak clearly or chew easily.

To prevent these potential loss-related problems before they start, explore your replacement options. While you can't regrow your own natural tooth, you can replace it with a faux version that stops shifting and will make it possible to speak and eat with ease.

2. What Replacement Choices Are Available?

Dental patients have a few different options to replace a missing tooth or a few teeth. These include a tooth-supported bridge, temporary flipper tooth, or partial dentures. While these choices may look and feel like real teeth, they aren't permanent. If you want an option that won't easily come out, consider an implant and crown.

Again, implants act as tooth anchors. Instead of a real root, the screw-like post of the implant holds the rest of the dental device into your jaw. The natural bone in your jaw will heal around the artificial implant, holding it tightly in place. The jawbone graft may take between three and six months to heal and secure the anchor.

3. Are You Tired of Temporary or Time-Consuming Fixes?

After the graft is complete, the dentist can attach a tooth-colored crown to the top of the implant. This mechanism holds the crown (fake tooth) firmly in place. Unlike dentures or partial dentures, you won't remove the implant/crown at night, clean it, or use messy adhesives to hold it in place.

Instead, the implant becomes a permanent part of your mouth that you will care for in the same way you would your natural teeth and dental roots. If you don't like the in and out routine of dentures or the feel of flippers and bridges, talk to your dentist about dental implant treatment. Even though implant treatment isn't an immediate fix,