Dental implants: What are they?

The days when it was common to lose the majority if not all of your teeth are long gone, however there are still millions of people who will lose teeth. Fortunately there are now options to replace them that are far better than what was available before. Dental implants can give you replacement teeth that are almost identical to the ones that are missing.

Dental implants are designed to replace missing teeth. They differ from dentures or bridges in that these are permanently implanted and basically act like regular teeth. In the past the only option that you had if your teeth were missing were dentures or bridges which could be taken out. This is rather an inconvenient way of replacing teeth so dental implants were developed instead. They are much easier to maintain than dentures would be since caring for them is basically the same as it is for your other teeth.

The way that dental implants work is that the dentist will implant a small root into your jawbone in the location around the missing tooth. You will then need between six and twelve weeks to heal from this surgery during which time the bone will grow around the root so that it is held firmly in place and becomes permanent. After this there will be a small post called an abutment placed on to the root, this is what your new tooth will be attached to. Finally the dentist will make a replacement tooth that will be attached to the abutment. The new tooth will be designed to match your other teeth in both the shape and colour so nobody will be able to tell that it is not a natural tooth.

Based on the above description you would think that getting dental implants would be extremely painful. In reality this is not the case. Local anaesthesia is normally used during the procedure and most people who have had it done say that the discomfort is fairly minor. In fact most people say that it is less painful than having a tooth extracted. There will likely be some minor pain for a few days after the surgery to have the root installed. This can normally be managed with over the counter pain killers.

Dental implants are now the most common way to replace missing teeth but they are not suitable for everybody. In order to be able to have implants you have to have enough bone left in the area of the missing tooth that it can hold the root in place. It is also necessary to have relatively healthy gums. In most cases if you are healthy enough for routine oral surgery like a dental extraction you will be able to get implants. However you also have to be able to show that you are dedicated to proper oral health care since a dental implant can fall out just like any other tooth if it is not properly taken care of.