What Are Dental Implants and How Do They Work?
Inasmuch as one would want to hold on to the health of every tooth in the mouth, it is not possible to do that. A person can lose his tooth or teeth for a number of reasons, and when he does, a replacement is in order. The teeth hold very important functions in the mouth and when they are lost, these things are highly compromised.
First is aesthetics, a person loses the right to smile that his overlook is majorly altered. Second is speech, because there are certain sounds that are produced with the contact of the upper and lower teeth or the front teeth and the tongue. Third is masticatory function, because the teeth allow a person to cut through and grind food to be able take it into his system. Fourth is facial integrity, because the teeth hold the person’s bite and its absence results to the collapse and the loss of facial integrity.
When a person loses his teeth it cannot be stressed enough how important it is to replace it, and dentists have long resolved edentulism through removable dentures and dental crowns. Nowadays, however, the loss of a tooth or a few teeth can already be resolved through dental implants.
An implant, often made of titanium metal, appears as a screw. It is embedded within the jaw bone to replace the roots of a tooth so that they may be installed with a crown. In terms of cost, dental implants are so much more expensive than removable dentures and crowns, but covering such cost proves a good investment because of the following reasons:
– Due to the stability afforded by osteointegration, the prosthesis is more retentive and more functional so replacing lost teeth better than any other type of prosthetic. When the titanium metal has completely fused with the bone, the strength of the implant on the bone is increased, mimicking the functionality and strength of the natural tooth. This increases efficiency of the masticatory function; improving one’s dining experience and capacity to obtain proper nourishment for the body.
– When the implants are embedded in the bone, it replaces the roots of the natural teeth and above it, a crown can be installed. With proper planning and tissue preparation, the emergence profile of the crowns can be properly set so that you achieve superb aesthetic results that best mimics the true appearance of the natural teeth in the mouth.
– Since the dental implants support the crown on its own, there is no need to utilize a healthy tooth to hold the crown or bridge. This properly preserves tooth and the health of the mouth because you replace tooth without compromising health. Also, it is ideal even for distal free end cases, where the space is at the most posterior portion of the jaw.
– In the case of removable dentures that are no longer retained properly in the mouth because of low bone support, the dental implants can offer some retention to improve the functionality of the dentures. Implants can be placed at areas where sufficient bone is left so that it can properly support the loose prosthesis.