A dental implant is a permanent fixture in your mouth to help support a prosthetic tooth. It’s usually made of titanium and is made to resemble a tooth root, being inserted into the bone and soft tissue as if it were an actual tooth root. This implant will fuse with the bone, but will still feel different, compared to your other teeth, when chewing. It should look the same as any other tooth and will work as well as any other tooth.
Dental implants often replace teeth that are damaged or have to be removed for whatever reason. While an implant can support a single prosthetic tooth, it can also support bridges—which are for multiple teeth—or full dentures should you be missing all your teeth. While it sounds frightening to replace a tooth entirely, it may be the best option for oral health and comfort. If a simple crown can’t fully repair a chipped or damaged tooth, it may be better to remove the tooth entirely and replace it with an implant to avoid pain and further damage to the tooth.
Implant Procedure
Putting in an implant is a careful procedure that considers the best placement of the implant in your mouth. The periodontist will determine what the best plan of action is as to ensure that the implant won’t cause you any problems.
- The dentist and periodontist will observe where the implant is going in your mouth and take a look at the different factors that affect the placement of the implant.
- They will then consult with you to create the perfect plan that works for you and your situation, deciding on what implant will work best and also how to go about it. Once the treatment has been planned and ready to go, you’ll get a perfectly functional implant and prosthetic tooth or teeth.
- The implant will be inserted into the bone and gums and fitted with either a crown or bridge, depending on your dental situation.
- After the implant has been successfully placed and the treatment is finished, your dentist and periodontist may discuss with you how to care for your implant. Even though the tooth supported by the implant isn’t real, you still need to brush and floss to protect the surrounding teeth from getting damaged. You may have to attend follow up visits with your dentist and periodontist to make sure the implant is fitted properly and supporting the crown or bridge properly.
If you find yourself with a severely damaged tooth or the unfortunate removal of one, you could be a candidate for an implant. It will simply help replace the missing tooth with a prosthetic one, giving you the chewing surface you need as well as the perfect smile you want.
