What Are Dental Implants and How Do They Work?

Dental implants are advanced medical devices that functionally replace missing teeth. Made of titanium and stainless steel with a ceramic dental crown, implants bond with the jawbone to provide lifelike, permanent tooth replacement. They will help to improve chewing, speaking, and eating, and they can significantly lift your self-esteem.

How Do Dental Implants Work?

Dental implants replace the root portion of the tooth. The titanium post screws into the jawbone, bonding with the bone through osseointegration. Osseointegration helps to protect the jaw against the deterioration that occurs with missing teeth.

An abutment attaches to the implant and is the junction between the implant and a crown or overdenture type of restoration. The crown is a lifelike replacement for the missing tooth. The crown itself may last about 10 to 15 years, while the dental implant may last a lifetime with proper care.

The Dental Implant Procedure

Dental implants involve a multi-step procedure with a series of appointments. The entire process may take six months or more, depending on the complexity of the treatment.

Before you receive implants, you may need bone graft surgery. A bone graft is performed to rebuild lost bone. One important condition of an implants’ survival is being placed in an adequate bed of bone.

Types of Dental Implants

Dental implants are available in several forms:

Single-Tooth Implants

These are the most common implant type. Single-tooth implants are appropriate for patients with a small number of missing or damaged teeth. One post supports one tooth replacement. These implants are easy to care for using standard at-home techniques and seamlessly replace natural teeth.

Implant-Supported Bridges

Implant-supported bridges are more durable than the standard crown-supported type. Instead of attaching the artificial teeth to two crowns, the dentist permanently bonds them to sturdy implants.

Implant-Supported Dentures and Full Arch Replacements

Implants can replace a few teeth up to an entire arch. Full arch replacements can be removable or permanently fixed. They may rest on as few as four to six implants per arch. 

Benefits of Dental Implants

Eat Anything You Want

Dental implants allow you to eat freely. You will no longer have to avoid chewy, sticky, or hard foods. You will need to exercise caution with the crowns on your implants, but less than you would if you had standard dentures or bridges.

Preserve Tooth Spacing

If you have missing teeth, your remaining teeth may shift out of position. This movement can create problems with tooth alignment and crowding and reversing previous orthodontic work.

Prevent Jawbone Deterioration

Dental implants stimulate the jawbone and prevent it from deteriorating around missing teeth. This protection keeps you from developing the "sunken" look familiar to people with standard dentures.

Regain Your Bright Smile

With dental implants, you'll feel free to smile again. People who are missing teeth often only smile without showing their teeth or covering their mouths when they laugh. Implants can restore your self-confidence.

Call South Florida Sedation Dentistry

Dental implants may seem expensive compared to dentures, but their improved function and oral health benefits make them an excellent investment.

Call South Florida Sedation Dentistry at 561-967-2001 to inquire about dental implants and find out how they can change your life.