If you have, or are thinking about getting dental implants, here are a few things you should know, both the good and the bad, the pros and the cons, the ins and the outs.
Some people think dental implants go “on top” of your teeth.
They do not: they actually replace your teeth, from your roots to your pearly whites. Getting implants actually is a surgical procedure which starts with your dentist removing your entire tooth, from the root – or what’s left of it, if the root has been damaged in some way – on up.
He then buries the metal implant (it replaces your tooth root) flush with your jaw bone, but underneath your gums, to protect it during healing and before the second stage of the procedure, in which your dentist performs another surgery exposing the implant by removing some of the overlying gum.
It may be possible for your dentist to place an abutment, which is a connector that’s built into the implant that’s then placed on top of the implant. It connects the implant to the replacement tooth that your dentist will place on top of the implant or the abutment (if you have an abutment).
Once the implant and/or the abutment have healed over several weeks, and the implant has successfully osseointegrated (bone has grown securely around it), your dentist then attaches the prosthetic tooth on top of it.
The result is a prosthetic tooth and “tooth root” that are sturdy, look just like real teeth, and which allow you to eat pretty much anything you want.
Some individuals believe that dental implants are just as good as dentures or bridges. This is incorrect: dental implants are better! They look more like real teeth than dentures/bridges do. In addition, because they aren’t anchored to their neighboring teeth, implants sustain the integrity of the healthy teeth nearby. In other words, you’ll experience no more decay of teeth that are otherwise sound.
What’s more, dental implants will preserve the bones in your jaw and prevent the shrinkage that occurs with bone loss! This is a great benefit of getting a dental implant because even just the loss of one tooth will cause shrinkage in your jaw bone.
While about 90 percent of dental implant procedures are successful, some are not. If this is the case, your dentist more than likely will have to remove the implant because it can’t be forced to osseointegrate. It is possible to try again with a second implant, but you will need to let the area heal for several months before doing so. You also may have to undergo a bone augmentation procedure.
How can you best ensure a dental implant will be successful?
You should be in general good health.
If you smoke, your dentist may ask you to quit before the procedure because the nicotine in tobacco smoke reduces the amount of blood flowing to the soft tissues in your mouth and slows the healing process.
· You need to have enough bone and gums in your jaw, although your dentist can rebuild both gum and jaw bone.
Dental implants are safe and an effective way to improve the appearance of your smile as well as a means to keep neighboring teeth healthy and keep the bones in your jaw from shrinking if you’ve lost one or more teeth.
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