Dental Implants: Life-Changing Treatment for Patients With Missing Teeth

Missing teeth can create significant challenges in your daily life. From difficulty chewing to the impact on your confidence, tooth loss can be a major obstacle. Fortunately, dental implants are an innovative solution for restoring your smile and improving your quality of life. At Harris Dental Clinic in Laurel, MS, our team offers comprehensive dental implant treatment, from the initial consultation to the final restoration. Our dentists work with a trusted oral surgeon to ensure that the implant placement is safe and comfortable. Once the implant has been placed, we provide custom crowns, bridges, or dentures that match the look and feel of your natural teeth.

Safe and Attractive Dental Implants

Dental implants are the closest replacement to natural teeth, and they offer many benefits over other tooth replacement options. Implants fuse with your jawbone, creating a stable foundation for the crown, bridge, or denture that is placed on top. Unlike traditional dentures, implants do not slip or shift in your mouth so that you can eat, speak, and smile with confidence. 


At Harris Dental Clinic, we use the latest technology and techniques to ensure that your implant procedure is safe and comfortable. Our team takes the time to listen to your concerns and answer any questions you may have about the treatment. We prioritize your comfort and satisfaction throughout the entire process.

Why Replace Missing Teeth? 

Although a single missing tooth may seem minor, tooth loss can have serious effects on your oral and overall health. When left untreated, missing teeth can cause: 


  • Jawbone Atrophy: Your jawbone receives regenerative signals through your tooth roots. When you lose a tooth, the jawbone almost immediately begins resorbing and losing volume. 
  • Soft Tissue Collapse: Missing teeth can make your face look sunken, giving you a more aged appearance. 
  • Misalignment: Your remaining teeth may shift in order to fill the gap caused by a missing tooth, resulting in misalignment. 
  • Excessive Wear: Since the chewing force is no longer distributed evenly across your smile, a missing tooth can lead to excessive wear and the need for additional restorative treatment on surrounding teeth. 
  • Nutritional Deficiency: Extensive tooth loss can make it difficult to enjoy your favorite crunchy, nutritious foods. 


In most cases, the negative effects of missing teeth worsen over time. Therefore, it is important that you seek treatment for a missing tooth as soon as possible.

Are You a Good Candidate for Dental Implants? 

Given the technological advancements in implant dentistry, virtually anyone with missing teeth is a candidate for dental implants. Patients with reduced jawbone tissue can even receive dental implants with All-on-4® treatment, an approach that uses fewer implants than traditional placement to restore a full arch of teeth in one day. Generally, in order to be eligible for dental implant treatment, you should have:

  • Good Oral Health: Gum disease has been linked to peri-implantitis, an infection around the implant site that can lead to implant failure. 
  • Good Overall Health: Implants are placed during oral surgery; therefore, patients should be healthy enough to undergo a surgical procedure. 
  • A Healthy Lifestyle: Smoking has been linked to higher complication rates for patients healing from implant surgery. 
  • Sufficient Jawbone Tissue: If you are missing jawbone tissue due to tooth loss or trauma, we can coordinate bone grafting to help reinstate implant eligibility. 


During your initial consultation, we will evaluate your oral health and review your medical history to determine whether dental implants are the best option for you.

What to Expect During Treatment

The dental implant process typically involves two main stages: the implant placement and the restoration. During the implant placement, the oral surgeon will insert a titanium post into your jawbone to serve as the root of the new tooth. This post will gradually fuse with the bone over time, creating a strong foundation for the restoration. Once the implant has fully integrated with the jawbone, our team will attach a custom crown, bridge, or denture to complete the restoration.

Why Should You Choose Dental Implants?

Dental implants are a long-lasting, reliable solution for missing teeth. They offer many benefits over other tooth replacement options, including:

Durability

Dental implants can last for decades with proper care and maintenance.

Natural Appearance

Implants are custom-designed to match the look and feel of your natural teeth.

Improved Oral Health

Implants prevent bone loss and gum recession that can occur with missing teeth.

Enhanced Quality of Life

With dental implants, you can eat, speak, and smile with confidence.

Schedule Your Consultation at Harris Dental Clinic

If you are missing one or more teeth, dental implants may be the solution you need to restore your smile and improve your quality of life. At Harris Dental Clinic in Laurel, MS, we offer comprehensive dental implant treatment to help you achieve a healthy, beautiful smile. Contact us today at (601) 649-3344 to schedule your consultation and learn more about dental implants.

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