Dental Implants: How and Why

If you follow dentistry buzz, you’ve already been inundated with implants talk. It is the rare product both dentists and patients are in full agreement on. With both practical and cosmetic aspects, implants do a lot of the work of older products but with panache and flair—not to mention better functionality.

How do implants work?
An implant is a titanium cylinder or screw that embeds in the jaw. The cylinder can be hollow or solid. Its primary function is as artificial tooth root. It’s otherwise known as an endosseous root-form.
This new artificial root will take on all the duties of your old natural root. But first, the item has to bind to the jaw. Titanium bonds extremely well with human bone, in a process called osseointegration. You’ll need a few months after implant surgery for this to take effect.
After the implant is embedded and osseointegration is complete, a second procedure installs a connection called a post that will enable the dentist to better access the surgical site. That access is necessary for the finishing touch: crowning the implant.

Why get implants?
A lost tooth can disrupt the mouth. Surrounding teeth start to shift toward any absence, and bite forces are redistributed. An alarmingly high rate of people with one or more missing teeth don’t replace them—either because of financial concerns due to little or no insurance, or dental phobia or another outlier. Dental implants were designed to ease the stress of tooth loss by offering a more natural and complete alternative to dentures and bridges.

Contact our office for more.

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