Dentistry for the past 50 years has successfully made a strong case for importance of keeping our teeth and certainly good healthy teeth lasting a lifetime is a worthy goal. But what happens when for any of a number of reasons a tooth or teeth begin failing? There comes a point in time, well before the tooth of its own falls out of the mouth, when replacement by a dental implant is the smartest decision a person can make. It can even make great economic sense.
Am I calling for the immediate replacement of all teeth showing problems with dental implants?
Absolutely not!
There are a great number of conservative restorative options that should come way before the dental implant is considered. However I also believe it is unwise for people to fear the dental implant and in so doing allow the bone of the jaw that holds the teeth to completely disappear. When this happens it becomes much more difficult (read expensive) if not impossible to place the dental implant.