The dental implant restoration is quite a bit different from the traditional dental bridge. The dental implant has become the new gold standard for teeth restoration. Let us look at the reasons behind needed a dental implant, the procedure itself, and then the benefits from pursuing a dental implant.
The Reasons for having a Dental Implant
If you have suffered from an unfortunate accident and have suddenly lost a tooth, or if you and your dentist decided to have a tooth extracted, the missing tooth creates a gap. An unpleasant gap in your smile but more importantly a gap in the bite alignment of your teeth. The neighboring teeth will drift or shift into that gap altering your bite. You might also notice a speech difference and there is the self-esteem and self-confidence issue with your changed smile. You will be advised to fill that gap soon and your choices will be a dental bridge, which is an artificial tooth suspended in the gap supported by the two neighboring teeth, or a dental implant.
The Dental Implant Procedure
If the dental implant restoration is the agreed upon solution for your case the process begins with an x-ray to determine and confirm the status below the surface of the gums. The first step is to surgically drill a small hole in the jawbone. A small titanium post will be inserted into the hole. The post needs adequate healing time to grow and bond to the jawbone. The next step is to add an extension or abutment to the post. The abutment gets the post to surface of the gum line.
The last step is to affix a ceramic or porcelain artificial tooth on to the abutment. This tooth, or crown, is custom designed at a dental lab and when placed will look like a natural tooth. Just like that you have a restored tooth. The time between appointments will depends on how quickly the post bonds, fuses, or grafts and how quickly your gums heal. These factors vary patient to patient.
The Benefits to having a Dental Implant
Dental implants were introduced in 1951 and over the years with technological advancements have become the new gold standard for teeth replacement. With their increase in popularity, there are now over 500,000 implants placed every year. The benefits of the dental implant begin with their completely natural look. They are a permanent solution and will maintain your speech and improve your self-esteem with a healthy smile. They are naturally comfortable.
Biting, chewing, and eating are natural. They are durable with a life expectancy of several decades. The post, functioning as an artificial root, stimulates the jawbone, therefore stymieing any jawbone atrophy from the missing tooth. You simply need to exercise common sense when it comes to biting hard objects. You can still crack the crown by chewing on ice or pencils. If you exercise good oral hygiene, you will be incredibly happy with your dental implant restoration and the procedure to get it will be more than worth it.