Top Facts You Need to Know About Dental Procedures
In spite of the fact that millions of people across the country suffer from Odontophobia, which is the DSM-IV classified phobia of the dentist, people are running to dental offices in droves to have cosmetic dental work done. Be it a quick painless procedure like teeth whitening, a slightly more time intensive porcelain veneer procedure, or an intense dental implant surgery, more than 2.6 million procedures are performed every year in the United States alone. If you are one of the nearly 100 percent of Americans who believe that a great smile is a social asset, here are a few facts you should know before making a dental appointment with a general dentist.
As little as 100 years ago, as many as half of all adults in North America were toothless. In a little under a century, thanks to improved dental care and awareness, fewer than 10 percent of adults over age 65 have lost teeth. Not only that, but the number of younger people who have lost teeth continues to go down drastically every decade. These days, the vast majority of tooth loss in people under 35 years of age is caused by athletic trauma, fights, or accidents. One of the most successful ways to replace these lost, but not forgotten, teeth is through the use of dental implants.
Dental mini implants, which are actually is the only cosmetic dental procedure on the market today that gives a natural tooth like experience, consists of three parts. These include a titanium rod, a covering for this rod, and a tooth like crown. Dental implants are used as replacements for the roots of missing teeth to provide patients with an option that has a more natural feel that your average set of dentures. Since Tooth enamel is the hardest surface in the human body, great measures are taken to make sure that these new teeth will perform as well as they need to, even though they are not natural teeth.
Unlike some cosmetic dental procedures, dental implants have a bit of recovery time associated with them. This should not discourage you, because the benefits far outweigh the downtime you will experience. Once the dental implant is placed into the bone socket of the missing tooth, it takes about six to 12 weeks for the jawbones to fully heal around the implant to anchor it in place. In fact, since they need to be made of such substantial materials, they can last a whole life time if they are taken care of properly. All you need to do is make your way through those six to 12 weeks, and then you will rarely need to set foot in the office of a general dentist for the rest of your life.
One of the best parts of permanent dental implants is that you will not have to worry about the same dental costs that those without them will for the rest of their lives. Recent studies have shown that the average cosmetic dental patient spends between 5,000 and 6,000 dollars at the dental office. These costs might include teeth whitening, dental veneers, or even the very expensive dental implants. Unfortunately, most people in the United States do not have the best dental insurance and will need to pay for these procedures out of pocket at a general dentist. Learn more.
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