Are you happy with your smile? The photoshoot is a click away and when everyone shouts cheers, your lips are sealed with a half-smile that don’t show your teeth. How fluent is your word pronunciation? Is it affected by a gap in your teeth? Millions of people still suffer from tooth loss mainly due to decay and maybe trauma or diseases. A dental implant is a sure remedy and is considered as a form of cosmetic dentistry as it seeks to address the patient’s dental satisfaction.
What are Dental Implants?
They are fabricated screw like tooth roots placed in the jaw bone and serve as a firm foundation for the crown known as the artificial teeth. The crowns are tailored to look like the original teeth and also sized to fit into the mouth. Dental implants are not new, they have been in use for years and the demand for them is currently on the rise. They are the strongest materials that support teeth replacement. They offer ease and the new teeth bonded to them looks, feel and function like natural teeth.
Why use Dental Implants?
- They improve one’s appearance, making you feel and look like you are wearing your natural teeth.
- They support bone growth and also preserve the natural bone.
- Implants do not slip or shift when the mouth undergoes activity like eating and speaking.
- Poorly arranged dentures, missing tooth or teeth can cause poor and degraded speech production as the misarranged teeth serve as an embarrassing obstruction to free flow of words causing slurring or mumblings.
- Dental implants give the confidence of speaking without such fears or worries.
- They are durable and can last a lifetime if well preserved.
- It feels comfortable in the mouth and saves one the stress of daily removing and fixing.
- With dental implants, you can win yourself esteem back and go back to eating all the food you would have thought of battling to chew.
Types OF Dental Implants
They are classified based on the type of procedure carried out to place them. The best option is left to the patient’s decision.
- Two-stage implants
- Endosteal implants
- Single-stage implants
- Subperiosteal implants.
Visiting the Dentist
If undergoing a dental implantation is your choice, be rest assured that there are well-trained professionals that can carry out this procedure which is 80% predictable.
A treatment plan is organized which best suits the patient’s needs and specifications. Before the commencement of the implantation, your dental professional will examine your teeth and gums to ensure your bone is strong and for those with soft bones, bone grafting is carried out.
- A titanium post known as the tooth root implant is embedded into the bone socket where the missing tooth occupied. Within 2 to 6 weeks, the bone undergoes a healing process known as osteointegration and grows around the implant.
- After the bonding, an abutment known as a small connected post is bonded to the implant. This is what holds the new tooth in place.
- Impressions of the teeth are made and a new tooth or teeth is fabricated based on the impressions taking into consideration the color, shape and dental arrangement.
- The new modeled tooth or teeth is the replacement tooth known as the crown.
- The crown is then attached to the abutment.
Minor discomforts experienced are taken care of by prescriptions and the surgeries heal in no time.
Viola!!! Don’t your teeth just look perfect like there was never a gap?
Preserving Your Dental Implants
To ensure it lasts longer, dental implants require care like the natural teeth. Quit smoking, Brush twice, floss and visit the dentist for frequent check-ups is vital.
