All You Need to Know About Dental Implants

When a child's primary teeth fall off naturally, it does not normally cause a big concern. However, it becomes a different story when an adult loses their permanent teeth due to decay, genetics, excessive wear, trauma, or natural aging. 

Loss of a tooth can significantly impact a person's dental health and self-confidence. For years, the only available options for people to replace their missing teeth were removable dentures and dental bridges. However, these replacements have significant drawbacks causing discomforts to the wearer. 

Now, dental implants have become an effective solution to replace people's missing teeth permanently.

What are Dental Implants? 

Dental implants are titanium posts that are surgically positioned into the patient's jawbone beneath the gums. Once placed, dental implants allow the dentist to mount a dental prosthesis such as replacement teeth onto them.

Types of Dental Implants

• Endosteal implants:  

The dentist places an endosteal implant by surgically inserting it into the jawbone. Once the healing of the surrounding gum tissue is completed, another surgery is required to join a post to the original implant. As the final step, an artificial tooth is attached to the post.

• Subperiosteal implants:

If the patient needs dental implants but doesn't have adequate healthy jawbone to support them, subperiosteal implants may be the right option. Unlike endosteal implants, subperiosteal implants comprise a metal frame designed to fit onto the jawbone just beneath the gum tissue. This metal frame consists of a series of posts used to support the placement of a replacement prosthetic, including a crown, denture, or bridge.

Dental Implant Placement Process

The placement of a dental implant starts with the patient's consultation with our dental expert. Implants can either be placed immediately after the tooth extraction or a few weeks later. If the patient's jaw bone is not strong enough to accept an implant, they may need bone grafting to strengthen the area. If the bone grafting procedure is performed, the patient will have to wait for a couple of months for the implant surgery to allow the bone grafting to heal. 

After administering local anesthesia, the dentist will place a titanium screw surgically into the patient's jawbone during the implant procedure. The natural process of implant fusing to the bone begins once the implant has been fitted, and the surrounding soft tissue will cover the implant. 

After the gums have healed and the implant is completely fused to the bone, an abutment will be fixed on the implant, connecting it to a crown. The crown restores the color, size, and look of your teeth. 

Benefits of Dental Implants

• Dental implants help preserve the original facial structure. 
• They improve the appearance of the smile and the jawline.
• Dental implants allow for easier and proper brushing and flossing.
• Since dental implants are compact and stable, it doesn't affect the functionality of the mouth. 
• Dental implants help prevent the shifting of teeth to the gap created by a missing tooth.

Call Ideal Smiles of Stamford at (203) 359-2222 or schedule an online appointment to know more about Dental Implants.