WHAT ARE DENTAL IMPLANTS?
Permanent solution for tooth loss
Dental implants represent a common procedure of permanently replacing missing teeth without affecting neighboring teeth.
With the help of dental implants, we can replace missing teeth thus strongly improving chewing and speaking abilities as well as restoring a beautiful smile. Implants can also serve as anchors of a fixed dental bridge or denture.
- What Are Dental Implants and How Are They Used?
- So How Does an Implant Work?
- Bone
- Tell Me About the Process
- How Long Does the Process Take?
Dental implants are artificial teeth that look and feel just like real teeth that a dentist “implants” into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Dental implants are perfect for the person who has lost a tooth either to injury or disease and, under perfect conditions, can last a lifetime. They are also “natural” feeling and looking, so much so that you may forget that you even have an implant.
Dental implants are actually artificial tooth roots that are placed into the jaw by your dentist with advanced training or oral surgeon to hold an artificial tooth. Unlike traditional bridgework, they do not rely on neighboring teeth for support. Installing dental implants requires a surgical procedure in which precision channels are created in the jawbone. The tooth implants are then “fitted” into the channels and help to create an “intimate” relationship where the implants fuse together with the bone. This fusion is the success of the dental implant.
Bone needs stimulation to stay healthy and keep it’s form. When a tooth is lost, the bone will soon lose it’s width and height without a dental implant. The more teeth that are lost, the more bone that is lost. If needed, your dentist will do a bone graft in the socket where the tooth was removed. Bone will grow and regenerate in this area and serve as the anchor to the dental implant. Your dentist will work closely with other dental professionals to make and attach the implants into healthy bone.
For single tooth replacement, an “abutment” is attached to the implant after a period of healing. This abutment is a device that joins the implant to the tooth form called a “crown”. This is a custom made crown that is made by a dental laboratory and is cemented (or screwed) onto the abutment to keep it in place.
For multiple tooth replacements, the same procedure will apply with multiple implants. After healing is complete, permanent abutments are attached to the implants. Then they can attach to the crowns or “bridgework” (that is also made by a dental laboratory). Then finally, the bridge is cemented or screwed) onto the abutment to keep it in place. In this scenario, teeth have been replaced, bone loss has been halted and the remaining healthy teeth are undisturbed.
For more serious situations, “removable dentures” are often used to replace extensive tooth loss. This procedure is indicated for someone who has lost all of their teeth (either top or bottom) and require implants to help stabilize their denture.
After the initial placement of the implant, it generally takes three to six months to complete the entire process. After that, good oral hygiene is important – brushing and flossing daily and regular 6 month checkups.
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