Dental implants have become the saving grace for people with tooth loss. The old dentures that slip and slide and cause irritation and embarrassment are a thing of the past. Everyone can now have teeth that look natural and preserve the beautiful smile you once had. While saving your real teeth should always be a priority, implants are the next best thing.
Dental implant surgery replaces tooth roots with metal, screw-like posts and replaces damaged or missing teeth with artificial teeth that look and function much like real ones. Implants are a welcome alternative to dentures or bridgework that doesn’t fit well. It also offers an option when a lack of natural teeth roots doesn’t allow building denture or bridgework tooth replacements.
Dental Implant Surgery: The Process
How the dentist performs implant surgery depends on the type of implant and the condition of your jawbone. If you are not healthy, there’s a good chance your implant will not take.
Dental implants surgically placed in your jawbone serve as the roots of missing teeth. Because the titanium in the implant’s fuses with your jawbone, the implants won’t slip, make noise or cause bone damage the way fixed bridgework or dentures might. And the materials can’t decay like your own teeth that support regular bridgework.
What Makes You a Candidate?
- generally, in good health.
- a mature jawbone
- healthy oral tissue
- ok with committing several months to the process
- don’t smoke tobacco
What You Can’t Do
The answer is: there is nothing you can’t do after receiving implants that you can do with regular teeth. However, as with natural teeth, some cautions apply.
- Do not bite down hard on materials that would be damaging to regular teeth. Items such as nuts, hard candy, and ice can break your crowns.
- Do not break with regular dental hygiene schedules. Implant materials are sturdy, but the tissue surrounding them is susceptible to infection. Brushing and flossing should continue as if maintaining your natural teeth.
- Do not forget to get regular dental checkups. The same issues that arise with natural teeth (except tooth decay) can occur in implants. Gum issues are particularly susceptible to the development of plaque and tarter. Implants are costly; you don’t want them to fail or need additional work because you did not maintain healthy hygiene.
- Do not smoke. Tobacco negatively affects the outcome of almost all therapeutic procedures performed in the oral cavity. The failure rate of implants is considerably higher among smokers. Failure to maintain good oral hygiene around the implants increases the risk of peri-implantitis, a condition directly associated with smoking.
Do you live in the Paoli, PA area and are considering oral implants? Call us now for a free evaluation. Think Oral Implants and Periodontics, office located at 250 W. Lancaster Ave., Suite 215, Paoli, PA 19301 (610) 550-3333.
