What is a Dental Implant?

 

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth, bridge, or denture.  Implants are surgically placed into the jaw by a periodontist, and after a period of healing, they become permanent in the mouth.  

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Who is a candidate for a Dental Implant?

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Dental implants are an ideal option for people in good general oral health who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, a tooth that never formed, or for other reasons.

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What are some possible reasons to get dental implants?

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• Replace loose or painful teeth

• Replace one or more missing teeth without affecting adjacent teeth.

• Resolve joint pain or bite problems caused by teeth shifting into missing tooth space.

• Reconstruct a patient’s confident smile.

• Restore chewing, speech, and digestion.

• Restore or enhance facial tissues.

• Support a bridge or denture, making them more secure and comfortable.

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What are the advantages of an implant over a bridge or denture?

 

A dental implant provides several advantages over other tooth replacement options, including:

 

• Maintain the integrity of your remaining teeth. In addition to looking and functioning like a natural tooth, a dental implant replaces a single tooth without sacrificing the health of neighboring teeth.  The other common treatment for the loss of a single tooth, a tooth-supported fixed bridge, requires that the adjacent teeth be ground down to support the cemented bridge.  ​When replacing multiple teeth, bridges and partial dentures rely on support from adjacent teeth, while implant-supported bridges do not.

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• Maintain bone health. Because a dental implant will replace your tooth root, your jawbone is better preserved. Implants integrate with your jawbone, helping to keep your bone healthy and intact. With a bridge or denture, some of the bone that previously surrounded the tooth starts to deteriorate.

  

• Long-term benefits. In the long term, implants are esthetic, functional, and comfortable. On the other hand, gums and bone can recede around a bridge or denture which leaves a visible defect, deteriorated bone from bridges and dentures can lead to a collapsed and unattractive smile, and cement holding bridges in place can wash out, allowing bacteria to decay the teeth that are anchoring the bridge.

  

• Finally, removable dentures can move around in your mouth, reducing your ability to eat certain foods.