Dental implants, one of the most popular forms of tooth replacement, consist of a small titanium post that is inserted into the socket of the missing tooth. After the post is placed, the bone tissue of the jaw will naturally attach to the titanium in order to form a firm foundation for the replacement tooth to rest. Essentially, the combination of jawbone and titanium forms an artificial root that can support the artificial tooth much like a natural root supports your healthy teeth. With your particular needs in mind, our dentists will work with you to develop the correct treatment plan. Our goal is to make sure that your procedure has the best outcome possible.
The implantation of the titanium post is the first step of the procedure. After it is in place, the area must be allowed to heal so that the bone tissue can have time to fuse to the titanium. The next step is to use dentures, a bridge, or a single restoration to replace the tooth itself. Each implant will hold a single tooth.
The most common method of replacing a tooth using implant dentistry is the insertion of a bridge. Implant dentistry allows the dentist to secure the bridge without having to use crowns on the surrounding teeth. Instead, the bridge is secured by the artificial teeth themselves. This allows the healthy teeth to be left alone, which is certainly a great advantage.
Implant dentistry can also be used to support dentures. Your average dentures are not tooth replacement options that many people would opt for if given the choice. Removable dentures, for one, will often move around within the mouth. This makes these types of dentures rather uncomfortable to use. Secured dentures, on the other hand, are fixed into the mouth permanently. While they will not move, they are still not the most comfortable choice. They can also make eating and speaking rather difficult at times. Both removable and secured dentures will limit the foods that you are able to eat although removable dentures can be cleaned more easily. Dentures inserted via implant dentistry do not have these many pitfalls. Instead, dentures placed in this manner are not able to shift, do not require an adhesive, and will not require you to change your diet.