A dental implant is a surgical procedure that entails a metal screw-like post, typically made of titanium, surgically placed in the jawbone to replace the root portion of a missing or damaged tooth. A porcelain crown is later placed over the implant giving you a natural and healthy looking tooth where there once was not a tooth. Instead of having bridgework, complete or partial dentures, dental implants offer a fixed solution for replacing teeth. In implant dentistry, the titanium used creates an intimate bond to the bone through a biological process called osseointegration. The bond offers support and stability for the artificial tooth, also known as the crown, a denture, or a bridge to be fixed and mounted on the implant. The patient involved should create a treatment plan and have good dental hygiene throughout the process. If there is not adequate bone to sustain an implant, bone grafting may be necessary.
How the treatment is performed depends on the condition of your tooth root, jawbone and the type of implant. Dental implant surgery may involve different procedures and that is why they come with so much benefit. Since bone healing needs time, the process may take a few months.
Types of Dental Implants
Each type of dental implant surgery comes with a different coating, size options, and connector that your dentist will pick from. The three common types of implants include endosteal, subperiosteal, and zygomatic. However, the safest and the most commonly used to fix missing teeth is the endosteal, followed by subperiosteal, and then the zygomatic which is the last and most complex. It is rarely used.
Endosteal Implants
Endosteal implants are suited for most patients and are the most common type of implant. For the post to fit and fuse, you need to have good oral health and healthy jawbone. They are posts that are shaped like screws, which are fixed into the jaw. Later, a crown acting as a tooth or teeth is fitted onto.
As soon as the procedure is done, healing will be required to let the bone and implant fuse together to create a stronghold. After healing, the false teeth will later be fitted onto the post between the surrounding teeth.
Subperiosteal Implants
Unlike endosteal implants, subperiosteal implants rest above the bone, but still, get support from underneath the gum. It is essential to the patients who don’t have enough healthy jawbones for an implant to be placed. Such patients cannot or do not want to undergo a bone augmentation or intense oral surgery to recreate it.
The benefit of Dental Implants
Dental implants act like natural teeth. It is one of the biggest advantages of an implant. It helps you restore the full chewing power. In most cases, no one can tell the difference between the natural teeth from the crown implant. The artificial teeth will look and feel like all your other teeth.
Dental implants last a lifetime. Unlike a dental bridge or a removable denture that may last up to 10 years, dental implants are designed to last a lifetime as they offer long term solutions, with the help of regular dental checks from your dentist for oral hygiene and care. The implant is created from titanium, which after placement, integrates with the jawbone. It is non-toxic (bio-compatible), and the body cannot reject it. It is indeed a powerful replacement for missing teeth at any time.
Dental implants prevent premature aging and facial sagging. Missing teeth may result in bone loss that may cause facial sagging. In this process, your lower third of the face begins to collapse, gradually decreasing the distance between the tip of your nose and your chin. You begin to experience excess wrinkles around your mouth, a more pointed chin, and thinning lips making you look much older than your actual age.
Implants prevent bone loss. During tooth loss, you lose mass in your jawbone. To maintain its mass, your jawbone may need the stimulation it gets from your connected teeth. Dental implants are the effective tooth replacement treatment option, which replace the jawbone stimulation, and helps prevent bone loss and infection around the gum tissue and tooth roots.
Who Needs Dental Implants?
Unlike dentures, implants can be an effective option for adults of any age, whether born without teeth or have had an extraction due to decay, infection, or injury. They can also be an option to consider for adolescents, generally between the age of 18 for girls and 19 for boys. It is because, at such an age, facial growth and development have been completed.
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