The best known treatment to replace a lost tooth are dental implants. Dental implants can be your best option if you maintain good oral health and have lost teeth due to gum disease or injury. In this articles, we’ll take a look at why.
Implants are screw-like materials which replace the root portion of natural tooth. They are placed inside your jawbone by surgery over which crowns, dentures or bridges are fixed. If placed under proper conditions and further maintained diligently, implants can last for a lifetime.
Dental implants as we know them today were invented in 1952 by a Swedish orthopedic surgeon named Per-Ingvar Brånemark. They are currently considered the standard of care for prosthetic replacement of missing teeth in dentistry. Over time, technology and science have progressed to greatly improve the outcomes of dental implant placement. Today, the success rate for dental implants is close to 98%.
The pros of getting dental implants
Having a dental implant fused to the jawbone is the closest thing to mimicking a natural tooth because it stands on its own without affecting the nearby teeth and has great stability. This is one of the reasons why dental implants can be your best option. The process of fusion between the dental implant and jawbone is called “osseointegration.”
Most dental implants are made of titanium, which allows them to integrate with bone without being recognized as a foreign object in our body.
An implant is implemented in three different stages. During the first, titanium implants are placed inside the jawbone by surgery. This will remain covered inside the gums for about 3-6 months for osseointegration to take place. The second phase involves uncovering the implants and attaching bases for the artificial tooth to be fixed. Finally the new teeth are fixed onto the base.
Advantages to choosing a dental implant for tooth replacement
Dental implants are conservative in that missing teeth can be replaced without affecting or altering the adjacent teeth. Furthermore, because dental implants integrate into the bone structure, they are very stable and can have the look and feel of one’s own natural teeth.
Dental implants are close to your natural teeth and require the same home-care and regular dental visits. Brushing and flossing at least twice a day is recommended to keep the dental implant clean and free from dental plaque. Periodic follow-up visits should be scheduled after your treatment to ensure the dental implant and the gums are in a healthy condition.
To better understand the nuances of this condition and how it may be approached, contact Trevor Smith Dental for all the advice you need.
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