Dental Implants are used to bridge or replace one or more missing teeth in an area that has become weak or vulnerable due to tooth loss or infection. Dental Implants can be used for both cosmetic and functional reasons. One of the most popular cosmetic uses is to improve your smile. Dental Implants are inserted into the jawbone through surgery under local anaesthetic and fixed firmly to the bone. A dental implant is an artificial part that interfaces with the healthy bone of the skull or jaw to serve as an anchor for a dental or prosthetic denture, bridge or crown.
Unlike dentures, bridges, crowns and other dental attachments that do not require implants, bridges and other dental implants need to be replaced regularly. In fact, dental implants may never replace them. Once a tooth is lost, it cannot grow back on its own; it must be connected to a replacement tooth. Your dentist may suggest dental implants depending on the type and location of your lost tooth.
One option for replacing your missing teeth with a dental implant involves using a metal post called a post capsulum. This small metal post is positioned behind your gums so it can be anchored to your bones. The new tooth or teeth are then placed on top of this anchored post. A dental implant procedure is performed and your jaw bone or gum is surgically attached to the new dental implants. Metal posts are typically made from titanium because it is the strongest material available.
Another option for dental implants involves
using two crowns that are placed side by side instead of one. The two
crowns are placed on top of each other and secured in place. A dental
crown is a thin porcelain crown that is placed over a natural tooth
root. Dental crowns are most effective when they are placed over the
same size and shape as the original tooth root. Your dental implants
will bond to the crowns and stay in place permanently.
If you are missing more than one tooth, you may want to consider dental implants that are designed to be used in an open bite. An open bite occurs when you have more than one front teeth. When you chew food, your chewing movement allows the soft tissue of the gum and bone around the teeth to slip back into the mouth. With the replacement tooth root inside your jaw bone, the dental implants will be seated securely and permanently. If you have lost all of your teeth, an open bite is a possible option for replacing the teeth.
For patients that have lost all of their teeth, osseointegration is often the recommended treatment. Osseointegration is when the artificial tooth root is surgically installed into the jaw bone so it can fuse with the natural tooth root. This process works by creating a channel that the surgeon creates to guide the titanium dental implants. Once the material is placed into this channel, the bone fuses with the titanium.
It is important to note that dental implants that are created using osseointegration are not capable of replacing several teeth at once. This type of dental implant needs to be used in conjunction with another procedure. Using dental implants to replace several teeth at once is known as multiple tooth replacement. There are different types of dental implants that can be used for several teeth replacement options.
There are two basic types of dental implants. Implant Type D and Type I. Dental Implants I is the least invasive and has the least amount of scarring and infection resistance. Dental Implants I require surgery so there will be a recovery period. Dental Implants D requires no recovery time. Patients that need to have their teeth replaced due to a missing tooth can use Dental Implants I to bridge the gap.
