What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are titanium cylinders (screws), which are surgically implanted into the jawbone, where teeth are missing. Once in place, they allow their dentist to mount replacement teeth on them. Your new tooth, a crown, will look and feel similar to your real teeth.
For some people, simple bridges and dentures are simply not comfortable or possible due to lack of adequate bone or dental support, poor oral hygiene, discomfort, or gagging. Also, standard bridges have to be attached to the teeth on either side of the space left by the missing tooth. One advantage of implants is that your new replacement tooth/place does not require any adjacent teeth to be prepared or brought down to keep the teeth in place.
To get a transplant, you must have:
- Healthy gums
- Adequate bone to support the implant (or be a candidate for bone grafting)
- Excellent oral hygiene habits and regular dental visits to ensure the long-term success and health of dental implants
When Are Single-Tooth Implants Used?
Dental implants can be used to permanently replace a missing tooth. First, your dentist will surgically implant your jaw. Once it attaches to the bone, the implant acts as a new “root”. A crown, also known as a cap, is attached to the implant to replace the missing tooth.
To be considered a candidate for a dental implant, your jawbone must be strong enough to support the implant. The surrounding tissue and nearby teeth should be in good health. If there is not enough bone to hold it, additional bone can be added through bone grafting.
It is essential that the dentist conducts an in-depth review of your medical history and conducts an examination. Some medical problems can eliminate a candidate for a dental implant, such as diabetes, liver disease, or severe bleeding disorder.
How Do Single-Tooth Implants Work?
Single-tooth implants have several parts:
Implant – made of titanium, shaped like a screw or post, placed in a jaw.
The abutment – Made of titanium, gold, or porcelain, attached to implants. This part attaches the implant to the crown.
The crown – made of porcelain metal (PFM), all-metal, or all-porcelain. Your crown will be made to match your other teeth and attached to indecency.
What Is The Procedure?
The whole process of a single-tooth transplant can take months, but the result is worth it! If your dentist determines that your jawbone is not strong enough for a transplant, the first step will be bone grafting. Grafting involves taking bone from another source (or using synthetic materials) and adding it to your jaw to make it stronger. In this scenario, your jaw will need 4–12 months to heal before receiving the implant.