Dental implants are revolutionary restorations that offer a permanent replacement for one or more missing teeth. They are popular restorative prostheses that have been evolving over the past decades. Getting your missing tooth replaced is crucial to maintaining your oral functionality and aesthetics.
Dental specialists across the globe are striving to spread awareness about the ill effects of missing teeth and how dental implants can be your permanent solution. Website patient education and awareness have come a long way in making dental implants popular.
Unleashing dental implants
Dental implants are screw-like titanium posts that are surgically inserted within your jawbone. The implant post acts like a tooth root providing anchorage and a strong base for future restorations like crowns, dentures, or bridges. Since the material used is biocompatible, it can successfully fuse with the jawbone through a process called osseointegration.
A dental implant consists of 3 parts, namely:
- Post: The actual screw-like device inserted in the jawbone.
- Implant abutment: The connector that attaches the prosthesis (crown, denture, or bridge) with the post.
- Prosthesis: The permanent restoration.
The mystery behind the success of dental implants
Dental implants offer several benefits. They:
- Are fixed permanently in the jawbone
- Improve speech and masticatory functions
- Provide a strong and stable foundation for future restorations
- Stimulate the jawbone
- Prevent bone resorption
- Preserve the adjacent natural teeth
- Are durable and long-lasting
Being a perfect candidate matters!
Your dentist will weigh certain criteria for a successful dental implant treatment. You must:
- Have a healthy jawbone with adequate thickness and density
- Be free from advanced periodontal disease
- Be willing to give time for dental visits while getting your implant
- Have fully developed jaws
- Be dedicated to maintaining good oral hygiene
Unraveling the procedure behind dental implants
After a thorough evaluation of the missing space and bone health underneath, your dentist will proceed with the procedure. If the bone thickness is insufficient you may require additional procedures like bone grafting.
Procedural steps:
- The space around your missing teeth will be numbed with a local anesthetic to ease pain and discomfort.
- Your dentist will expose the underlying bone through a small incision on the gums and raise the flap.
- Using rotary instruments, your dentist will drill a small hole to insert the screw-like post.
- The gum flap will be repositioned and sutured to close the incision.
- The implant site will be allowed to heal for 4 to 5 months before placing the permanent restoration.
Keynote
Getting implants demands time, perseverance, and patience. But once placed they can offer excellent durability and long-lasting results. These one-time investments can tremendously enhance your oral form, function, and aesthetics.