Your Katonah, NY, cosmetic and implant dentist, Dr. Terry Lin of Northern Westchester Prosthodontics, can help you replace your missing teeth with dental implants. Implant dentistry improves your appearance and also provides a few other benefits.

How tooth loss affects you

Our society places great importance on a full, healthy smile. If you're missing teeth, revealing your changed smile to the world may be the last thing you want to do. Eventually, you may notice a decrease in self-confidence and self-esteem that affects your personal or professional life.

In addition to the obvious change to your appearance, tooth loss may also:

• Make Eating Difficult: Biting, grinding, tearing and chewing food can become more challenging after you lose teeth.
• Affect Your Diet: Eating a variety of foods may not be possible depending on the number of teeth you've lost. If you limit your diet to soft foods, you may not receive the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
• Cause Wear and Tear on Your Other Teeth: Your upper and lower teeth work together when you chew. If one or more teeth are missing, other teeth must take over for them. These teeth may soon become to show premature signs of wear and tear or damage.
• Change the Alignment of Your Other Teeth: Teeth often shift after tooth loss. If they begin to drift and overlap, your appearance and your bite can be affected.
• Alter Your Speech: Teeth are essential for clear speech. After tooth loss, you may find it hard to pronounce certain words or sounds.

Dental implants can restore your smile

Tooth loss doesn't have to permanently change your smile, thanks to dental implants. Implants replace your tooth roots and are connected to dental crowns to create brand new permanent teeth.

At your first dental implant appointment in the Katonah dental office, tiny titanium posts will be placed in openings made in your jawbone during minor oral surgery. The posts will bond to your jawbone and serve as the roots for your new teeth.

The dental crowns attached to the top of the implants are made from an impression of your mouth to ensure that your new teeth look perfectly natural. Single implants and implant-supported bridges and dentures can replace any number of missing teeth.

Dental implants improve your appearance and self-confidence and allow you to eat your favorite foods with ease.

Implant dentistry helps you fill the gaps in your smile! Call your Katonah, NY, dentist, Dr. Lin of Northern Westchester Prosthodontics, at (914) 232-8190 to schedule your appointment.