Dental Implants
When it comes to tooth replacement appliances, there are removable and permanent options that you can choose from. At Horizon Dental, we offer dental implants as a way to place restoration pieces permanently. If you have missing teeth, please keep reading to learn more about what restorative options are available and why it is beneficial to utilize dental implants.
What is an Dental Implant?
A dental implant is a titanium screw that is surgically placed into the jawbone, underneath the gums, that will attach to a customized restoration through the use of an abutment. Once the implant has assimilated into the bone and your gums heal around it, the restoration is finalized.
Implants act as the new root of the tooth replacement through supporting them and increasing or maintaining the density and health of the jaw bone. When we chew, stimulation travels through the crowns, down to the root, and then into the bone. After a tooth is lost, stimulation doesn’t occur, and the lack thereof can cause the bone to start disintegrating.
After placing your implants, it takes around six months to heal fully. Once healed, your dental restoration is complete.
Would I Qualify for Dental Implants?
There are only a few qualifications to be a candidate for a dental implant: you have to have missing teeth and have enough bone density to support the implant. If your bone lacks thickness, options such as a bone graft can help your bone prepare to hold the implant.
Restorations
Three dental restorations are typically secured into the mouth using dental implants.
- Dental Crown: The crown of a natural tooth is the entire portion that can be seen without moving any gum tissues. Using dental crowns replaces the outer part of the tooth that has been damaged or broken severely. A crown can be fabricated entirely out of porcelain and secured onto an implant for single teeth missing. Patients who only have a single tooth to replace will use a dental crown.
- Dental Bridge: Bridges are used to replace one or more teeth in a row. Usually, bridges are anchored onto two natural teeth called anchor teeth to hold the replacement tooth in the middle. For a dental implant to secure a dental bridge, at least two implants are needed to act as the anchor teeth.
- Dentures: Traditional dentures are held by suction to the gums ridge. The biggest complaint by traditional denture wearers is that they can slip and cause sores. Dentures are now secure in the mouth using either six or four implants on each dental arch. Dentures are created using artificial gums and teeth that give you a new, beautiful smile.
Contact Us
Having a missing tooth or multiple missing teeth can significantly affect how you do many things, such as eating, chewing, and speaking. To take advantage of a permanent restoration that uses dental implants, please call our office Horizon Dental. Are you unsure which restorative piece would be best for your teeth and oral health? We would be happy to help you schedule a consultation appointment.
We look forward to hearing from you and helping you restore your smile to its full potential.