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Introduction
(continued)
Still, the
number of people receiving implants remains a small fraction of all the
people who could benefit from them. Of the 150 million Americans now
estimated to be missing one or more teeth, some 35 to 40 million are
completely toothless. Sports injuries knock out another two million
teeth every year, and conditions such as decay and gum disease prompt
American dentists to extract another 40 million or so teeth annually.
Figure 0.3: Tooth Loss
in the United States
The number and categories of
missing and lost teeth in the U.S.
| |
Category |
Number |
| |
U.S. Population (2000 census) |
280 million |
| |
Persons missing all teeth |
35-40 million |
| |
Persons missing one or some teeth |
120 million |
| |
Tooth extractions annually |
40 million |
| |
Teeth lost due to accidents annually |
2 million |
This book is
intended to correct the myth that implants still are experimental and
undependable. Ive tried to use non-technical language to explain to the
average reader just what implants can do. The following chapters should
make it clear what can be expected from this life-changing therapy.
Statistics
compiled by reliable scientific researchers have proven beyond a doubt
that implants are safe, effective, and reliable. Yet those statistics
dont communicate the human side of what implants do for people. Those
stories are so varied that the only way to appreciate their breadth is
to hear some of them. For that reason, Ive included a Success Story as
a little interlude between each chapter.
As Jon, the
unfortunate college student, noted at the beginning of this chapter,
this is the 21st century. In the wake of inevitable tooth loss, we now
DO have the ability to deliver to dental sufferers teeth that are "As
Good As New".
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