What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are replacements for tooth roots, which provide a strong foundation for permanent or replacement teeth that are made to resemble your original teeth. Dental implant procedures are extremely popular in today's society, and anyone fit enough to undergo a regular dental extraction would be considered a suitable candidate for a dental implant procedure. The only requirement from the patient is healthy gums and a good bone structure to hold the implant. The patients who have had implants should be committed to maintain good oral hygiene and visit the dentist on a regular basis for routine examinations. Patients with heart diseases, diabetes, heavy smokers or anyone undergone radiation therapy should consult their dental implant dentists before deciding to avail themselves for dental implant procedures.
Dental Implant Success Rates
The success rates with dental implants vary, in accordance to the location where the implant is placed in the jaw. But with proper care and regular dental visits, the implants will last a lifetime and would have a success rate of at least 98%. Usually, dental implants are not covered under dental insurance, but they may be covered under your medical plan and it could be checked with your individual medical insurance provider.
Why Titanium Implants?
Most of the implants today are made of titanium, which is a metal that has special qualities useful for this purpose. Titanium usually develops a thin film around its surface, which protects it from corrosion. Titanium is strong compared to its light weight and non-magnetic. It is resistant to salt solutions, oxygen and acids. The most important thing is that the human body doesn't reject titanium implants as foreign objects. When a titanium implant is placed in the jaw bone, the bone grows around the implant protecting it, which is referred to as osseointegration. There are several kinds of implants, where some are considered as low cost dental implants.
Root form implants are the most popular out of the various implants out there. They are also called endosteal implants. They are placed in the jaw bone and looks like screws or cones. For this type of implant to be successful, the jaw bone needs to be wide and deep enough to provide a secure foundation. The other popular implant is called Ramus-Frame implants. This implant is used when the lower jaw bone is too thin for a Root-Form implant. The Ramus-Form implant is embedded into the jaw bone near the wisdom tooth. Transosseous Implants are used when patients have very little bone in their lower jaw and have no bottom teeth. This kind of implant needs extensive surgery and are rarely used today.
What Can You Expect?
The first step in the implant process is to device an individual treatment plan for the patient. A team of professional dental implant dentists will formulate this plan after thorough examination of your oral condition. Next a small post made of titanium is placed into the bone socket of the missing or broken tooth. The healing process can take up to twelve weeks depending on the patient's condition. Once the implant has bonded and the jaw has healed, a small connecting post or what is called an abutment is attached to the original post. A replacement tooth called a crown is then attached to this abutment. This is quite similar to your other natural teeth, and no one can tell the difference by its appearance.
Benefits of Dental Implants
There are many benefits of wearing an implant. Improved appearance is one such benefit. The implant matches your natural teeth and they are permanent. Implants become your natural teeth, and there is no discomfort as with removable dentures. Sliding dentures could make chewing difficult whereas implants are not so. Implants are durable and can last a lifetime with proper care. Implants help to improve the speech as they are permanent, whereas poor fitting dentures can interrupt your speech at regular intervals. The most notable benefit is the improved self esteem that is available when you are wearing a dental implant. You can smile regularly, and feel better about yourself wearing an implant.
