For many people, a missing tooth or teeth can be a confidence shattering experience. The permanent need to hide one's smile can cause embarrassment in social situations, and missing teeth can make one look older. Most teeth replacement treatment relies on some form or bridgework or dentures. Dental implants, however, are sometimes a more attractive solution because it leaves you with permanent, natural looking teeth.
Dental implants use a high tech surgical procedure to fuse a tooth or teeth to the jawbone. Ideal for people who are in good oral health, candidates for the treatment must have healthy gums and enough bone to support the implants. Dental implants can last a lifetime, and because the tooth is placed permanently into the bone, you can actually forget it is there.
There are two main types of dental implants. Endosteal implants are fixed into the bone with screws, cylinders or blades. Each of the implants can hold one or more teeth. Endosteal implants are used for patients who have bridgework or removable dentures.
Subperiosteal implants are placed on top of the jaw. The metal framework protrudes through the jaw to hold the tooth. Patients who have very minimal bone height and are unable to wear dentures are more likely to be a candidate for this type of implant.
There are many benefits to dental implants. For the right candidate, the success rate is extremely high. Since the implants are fitted straight into the jaw, there is no recession of the gums as with bridgework or dentures. Dental implants also do not require work to be done to adjacent teeth, unlike bridgework. With dental implants, no one will ever know you have a replacement tooth or teeth.
Dental implants can be use for one tooth, many teeth, or even all of your teeth. Generally, this number is determined, in part, by the amount of bone in the jaw. For example, the area in the upper back portion of the mouth generally has less bone structure and is therefore not usually an ideal location for implants. That the sinuses are near by doesn't help either.
A treatment called sinus augmentation may help correct this problem. The procedure raises the sinus floor and developing bone for the placement of the implants. Also, deformities in the bone can be corrected using ridge modification, in which the gum is lifted away and the bone exposed. The defect in the bone is then filled with a bone or bone substitute. This enhances the chance of the implant staying in place.
Dental implants can be performed on patients of any age. The entire procedure can take a few months, as the framework placed into the bone has to settle for a while before the tooth or teeth can be added. Temporary teeth will be fixed while this happens. The end result is permanent, natural teeth that look and feel as if you have had them your whole life. The only problem you have may after they are fitted is an inability to stop smiling.