A dental implant replaces the root of the tooth after an extraction. A titanium root is placed into the maxilla or mandible in the mouth.
If you are missing teeth, dental implants are a suitable treatment option for you.
If you have missing teeth, the existing teeth adjacent to the gap will overtime shift inward towards the gap. This can result in a misaligned face, problems with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), difficulty with chewing, increased risk of gum disease, and the loss of bone and the teeth’s supporting structures.
A dental implant will ensure that the forces that act upon your teeth are uniformly dispersed, not to mention enhancing the look of your teeth.
Compared to dentures, implants are a much more comfortable treatment option and provide more functionality while eating. Implants are very strong and will not move once they have been installed.
The first thing we have to determine is if you are a current candidate for an implant. We will have a look inside your mouth, specifically at the area in question for an implant. We may take x-rays to see if you have enough bone for an implant to be installed.
If you have enough bone to support the implant, we will need to reserve a one hour appointment to do the surgery. We will need to expose the bone by cleaving the gum tissue. The space for the root is then made and the titanium root is inserted before we suture the gum tissue back together. This will either be done on your upper (maxilla) or lower (mandible) jaw.
Because this is quite an invasive procedure, the implanted area will need to heal for approximately 20 weeks before we insert the restoration portion which can either be a denture, crown, or bridge.
Just as your natural teeth need to be taken care of, so does your implant with regular brushing and flossing and consistent checkups with your dentist. Similar to your natural teeth, your implant can last your entire lifetime if you take care of it.
Of course, your implant treatment approach will likely be different than anyone else’s. The amount of bone may need to be increased in the area in question for an implant through the following procedures:
It is the part of the implant that is visible and appears to be a regular tooth. The most common dental implant restorations are crowns, dentures, or bridges. They go on top of the titanium root and look and function just as a natural tooth would.
We will need to do an implant restoration after your healing period of approximately 20 weeks has finished.
The implant restoration is what will keep the forces that act upon the teeth uniformly distributed. If the restoration does not get installed, the teeth adjacent to the titanium root will eventually shift inward toward the gap, causing a another whole avenue of dental problems.
