Has tooth loss made eating food – especially your favorite meals – difficult or uncomfortable? Do you fear wearing bridges or dentures because they may not provide the durability or stability you want in your replacement teeth? There is a solution available that restores oral function in a way that conventional prosthetics cannot. With dental implants, patients can enjoy all their favorite foods without difficulty. Moreover, dental implants will not impair one’s speech. Read on for helpful information about these revolutionary replacement teeth.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are prosthetics designed to replace the lost roots of teeth. Unlike other prosthetics that only rest on top of the gums, dental implants anchor replacement teeth like crowns or bridges within the jawbone. An implant is a small, screw-like post made from titanium. This metal is biocompatible and allows for osseointegration – the process where bone generates new tissue to fuse to titanium components. Once osseointegration is complete, an implant will be stabilized and ready to hold a permanent prosthetic like a dental crown.
How Do Dental Implants Work?
Implants work by acting as anchors to visible prosthetics, similarly, to how the roots of teeth keep visible tooth structure in place. Once implants are stable, they can support a crown or bridge. Since the bone surrounds and fuses to the implant, an implant will durably hold a sturdy custom prosthetic.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Dental implants are incredibly durable and can last for decades. Since they keep bone active and stimulated, they can prevent bone deterioration while their prosthetic crowns or bridges support adjacent biological teeth. Being anchored by bone mass means that dental implants will not move during oral function, as dentures tend to do. This means that patients can eat and speak without obstruction or discomfort. If a person chooses to have their prosthetics fabricated from porcelain or porcelain fused to metal, their smile can look very natural and lifelike.
Lastly, dental implants are low maintenance. They are flossed and brushed just like biological teeth.
Call Northern Texas Facial & Oral Surgery today to reserve a tooth replacement consultation with our skilled team of oral surgeons.
