What is a Dental Implant?

July 7, 2011

Dental implants are an ideal option for people in good general oral health who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason. Dental implants are actually more tooth-saving than traditional bridgework, since implants do not rely on neighboring teeth for support, nor do they require the neighbouring teeth to be buffed down and capped. For these reasons and more, dental implants are considered the least invasive, ideal option for replacing teeth. Dental implants are so natural-looking and feeling, you may forget you ever lost a tooth. Your confidence about your teeth affects how you feel about yourself, both personally and professionally. Perhaps you hide your smile because of spaces from missing teeth. Maybe your dentures don’t feel secure. Perhaps you have difficulty chewing. If you are missing one or more teeth and would like to smile, speak and eat again with comfort and confidence, there is good news! Dental implants are teeth that can look and feel just like your own!

What can Dental Implants do?

Replace one or more teeth without affecting bordering teeth.
Support a bridge and eliminate the need for a removable partial denture.
Provide support for a denture, making it more secure and comfortable.

Types of Implants in use Today

Endosteal (in the bone): This is the most commonly used type of implant. The various types include screws, cylinders or blades surgically placed into the jawbone. Each implant holds one or more prosthetic teeth. This type of implant is generally used as an alternative for patients with bridges or removable dentures.

Subperiosteal (on the bone): These are placed on top of the jaw with the metal framework’s posts protruding through the gum to hold the prosthesis. These types of implants are used for patients who are unable to wear conventional dentures and who have minimal bone height.

Advantages of Dental Implants over Dentures or a Bridge

Since dental implants integrate into the structure of your bone, they prevent the bone loss and gum recession that often accompany bridgework and dentures. No one will ever know that you have a replacement tooth.

Tooth-saving dental implants don’t sacrifice the quality of your adjacent teeth like a bridge does because neighboring teeth are not altered to support the implant. More of your own teeth are left untouched, a significant long-term benefit to your oral health.

Patients who switched from bridges or dentures to dental implant based solutions for lost teeth have consistently reported increased comfort, function and confidence when speaking, eating, smiling, socializing, working and more. Patients often report an increase in self confidence.

Dental implants will allow you to once again speak and eat with comfort and confidence! They are secure and offer freedom from the irksome clicks and wobbles of dentures. They’ll allow you to say goodbye to worries about misplaced dentures and messy pastes and glues.

Dental implants are reliable. Historically, the success rate of dental implants very high and also highly predictable. They are considered an excellent option for tooth replacement.

Are you a Candidate for Dental Implants?

The ideal candidate for a dental implant is in good general and oral health. Adequate bone in your jaw is needed to support the implant, and the best candidates have healthy gum tissues that are free of periodontal disease.