A natural tooth is anchored into the jawbone by its tooth root.
Tooth roots attach firmly to the jawbone and keep your teeth stable
when chewing solid foods.
Traditionally, if you were missing a tooth (or one needed to
be extracted), the healthy teeth on either side of the missing
tooth would be cut down and the whole thing replaced with a three-crown
“bridge”.
Dental Implants are the modern alternative. Instead of cutting
down two perfectly good teeth, a dental post (Dental Implant)
is inserted into the jawbone to replace your missing tooth root.
This post becomes quite solidly fixed in your jaw (like a natural
tooth root). Your General Dentist then places a crown onto this
artificial tooth root that looks, feels, and functions like your
natural teeth.
Quite simply, Dental Implants are the most natural replacement
for missing teeth.
Traditionally, several missing teeth would have been replaced
with a removable partial or full denture.
Dentures have to be taken out and soaked at night. During the
day, they can also look unnatural and rub painfully. Dentures
and partials make it difficult or impossible to eat certain foods.
Dental Implants can now be used to anchor partial and full dentures.
This prevents the slipping, irritation, and pain associated with
“floating” partials and dentures. It also prevents
the tedious removal of dentures for overnight soaking and cleaning.
With Dental Implants, these restorations are anchored firmly into
the jawbone becoming much more like natural teeth.
Natural tooth roots and dental implant posts are fixed firmly
in your jawbone. When you chew, these tooth roots and posts stimulate
the jawbone and prevent it from shrinking. You may have seen a
person who looked prematurely old because their jawbone had shrunk
after wearing floating dentures. Dental Implants help preserve
your jawbone and appearance.
After their healing period, the success rate of Dental Implants
is between 94% and 98%. If you are a non-smoker with good oral
hygiene, the percentage is closer to 98%.
Placing a Dental Implant is usually like getting a cavity filled.
It is often done under local anesthesia and patients generally
experience little discomfort after the procedure.
Dental Implants become fixed to the jawbone. Dental Implants
have been in patient’s mouths for over 30 years. With good
oral hygiene and regular cleanings, Dental Implants should last
a lifetime. In contrast, the average life span of a traditional
fixed bridge is between 10-15 years.
Dental Implant treatment begins with an evaluation by your General
Dentist who will determine if you are a good candidate for this
procedure. If he feels Dental Implants might be possible, he will
send you to a Periodontist for a placement evaluation.
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