Let’s face it, many Americans skip or avoid dentist visits entirely for loads of reasons.  High levels of dental anxiety, inconvenience, being scared of what the dentist will say, a lack of dental insurance, or any other reason. But over a long enough time frame, those missed dental appointments can quickly compound into real oral health problems. 

Cavities, gingivitis, and gum disease are just the start of problems that can arise with your teeth. If left untreated, these can lead to root canals, tooth extraction, splintered or cracked teeth, missing teeth, and a whole slew of other problems. Our teeth are a critical piece of both our physical and mental wellbeing. If you haven’t seen a dentist for a long time and are missing one or more teeth, it may be time to consider dental implant surgery.

Knowing when You’re Ready for a Dental Implant

There are a lot of reasons your dentist may recommend an implant and you may have your own reasons for seeking one. Typically dentists recommend dental implant surgical procedures in the following cases (but not limited to):

• You are missing one or more teeth
• You are unable or unwilling to wear dentures
• A dental bridge or crown will not fix the problem
• You don’t have health problems affecting bone healing 
• You want to fix or alleviate a speech problem caused by missing teeth
• You can commit to several months-long processes
• You have certain types of oral pain
• You want to restore your smile

Those are some reasons why a dentist would be able to do the procedure from a medical point of view. But our teeth are important on more than just a medical level and for more than just eating food. 

You Know you’re Ready for Implant Surgery When

• You’re self-conscious about your teeth
• You worry about people seeing your teeth
• You’re scared of going on dates or pursuing a job interview 
• You’ve permanently changed your smile to avoid showing your teeth
• You’ve changed how you speak to show fewer or no teeth
• You no longer eat foods that you love because of broken or missing teeth
• You avoid public interactions 
• You are uncomfortable with how your teeth look
• You feel everyone you talk to notices your teeth
• You’re embarrassed
• Your mental health is suffering due to your teeth

When you feel like you can’t smile because of poor oral health, it is one of the most trapping feelings. You deserve to be confident in your smile no matter the circumstance. Remember that you’re not alone. People of all ages, backgrounds, and socio-economic situations will lose teeth throughout their lives. Considering once we grow our adult we never stop using them, it is absolutely a common thing and not something you should be ashamed of. Taking the first step towards a new smile can be as easy as scheduling a dentist visit. 

Example: Steven P., Male, 35 years old, Brooklyn, NY

Let’s take a look at a hypothetical example.*

Steven hasn’t gone to the dentist in 12 years and it finally caught up with him. What started as a minor toothache escalated to a full-on dental emergency. The pain kept Steve up at night and he couldn’t focus at work, but he still didn’t go to the dentist. Eventually, the tooth rotted away, chipped, and became a small unsightly black stub. He finally decided to go to the dentist as now it was a visible problem that others could see when talking to him and it was affecting the way he smiled. The root had rotted away and his dentist extracted the tooth in no time. 

Steven is now living with a missing tooth and he is finding it difficult. Every conversation with a client or loved one leads to him doing his best to hide his smile and he can’t smile or laugh freely without feeling self-conscious. He can’t get comfortable around other people anymore because he’s so embarrassed about the state of his teeth. The strain on his mental health is starting to affect his work and family life. He constantly beats himself up for not taking better care of his teeth or going to the dentist when he had the chance. His missing teeth weigh on his body, mind, and spirit. 

Steven is Ready to Fix his Smile

Now Steven wants a dental implant to fix his smile, so he schedules an appointment at Coney Island Dental to get the ball rolling. The dental hygienist takes his X-ray and does a cleaning. The dentist then reviews the x-ray and goes over Steven’s options. Steven has enough bone regrowth to make it a go-ahead on the implant, and they schedule their first procedure, the surgical installation of the implant. All goes well and a few months later Steven returns for his follow-up visits to get the crown installed on the implant. 

He now has a smile he can be proud of. He no longer hides his real smile in public and he no longer skips visits to the dentist. Steven is not worried about his teeth anymore and the weight off his shoulders improves all other aspects of his day-to-day life. 

Getting a Dental Implant in Coney Island, NY

Knowing where to go for your dentistry shouldn’t be complicated. But when looking for services outside of a typical cleaning, a little direction can go a long way especially, here in Kings County. We specialize in all forms of oral surgery including, Coney Island Dental Implant Surgery. Our practice has nearly 40 years of local expertise and we have helped almost 8,000 patients achieve the smile they deserve.

Call us today and schedule an appointment to start your journey towards a happy and healthy smile. We’re local, we’re your neighbors and we live right here where we work.

Call today: (718)-766-8883