If you have been in a serious car accident and have suffered facial injuries, you may be emotionally distraught and worried about your appearance. The worry you may feel may also come from wondering about how your injuries can be repaired so they will heal without leaving tell-tale scars. If you suffered injuries to your mouth or teeth and your natural teeth could not be saved, you should know that modern dentistry has many options for you to get back your smile. Learn more about dental implants and if you are a candidate for them.

Dental Procedures After Facial Trauma

The severity of your facial injury determines a great deal about when and if you are able to have lost teeth replaced with dental implants. For some patients, broken jaw bones may need to be wired back together, meaning no implants or any other dental procedure can be performed until the jaw bones knit back together and heal completely. If you have wounds to your mouth in addition to lost teeth, those wounds may have had sutures placed in them and will need to heal completely before you can have implants. Your oral surgeon can give you a timeline specific to your particular facial injury and how long it will be before you can have restorative dental procedures.

Dental Implants Are Durable And Look Like Your Natural Teeth

If you worry that dental implants will look fake, you should know that implants are designed to appear real and they are also designed to be long-lasting. You will not have to worry about an implant falling out or breaking like crowns sometimes do. Dental implants are placed into your jawbone through the gum, a titanium post being placed into the bone first for the attachment of an abutment. The abutment screws onto the post and is visible above the gum line. Each implant will have its own post and abutment. Once your gums have completely healed after having implants put in, a porcelain crown that looks like a real tooth is attached to the abutment. You will be able to eat and talk like you always did with your natural teeth.

Bone Can Be Grafted If There Is Need Due To Facial Injury

The bone in your jaws may be insufficient for implants because of your facial injury. However, your oral surgeon can graft bone, taken from other areas in your body, to your jawbone for the placement of implants. Grafted bone can be as strong as the bone it is grafted to, especially when the bone grafted is your own. Once grafting has healed and the bone is growing without incident, your dental professional can proceed with the placement of dental implants.

The fear and stress you have endured because of a serious accident is enough without worrying about tooth loss. Remember there are many options available to you thanks to the advancements being made in modern dentistry, so relax and allow your injuries to heal before talking to a dentist or oral surgeon about dental implants. For more information about how implants work, contact a company like Health Centered Dentistry.