Our teeth play a very important role in our physical appearance. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that a simple smile can make you look beautiful and confident. However, if you have lost one or more teeth in an accident, you have nothing to worry about. The field of dentistry has grown a lot today. As a result, you can use dental implants to replace your lost tooth/teeth. This article will tell you more about what dental implants are and three of the most common dental implant types that are prevalent today.
Dental Implants – Meaning
Dentists use implants to replace your lost tooth or teeth. Before opting for this treatment, you should know about the meaning of dental implants, and their uses. This will give you a better idea about your treatment, and help you make qualified choices when it comes to choosing the type of implant. Dental implants are small screws (called posts by dentists) inserted surgically under the gums, so that they are embedded within your jawbone.
Since this is inserted within your jawbone, a dental implant replaces the tooth’s root and is a strong base for restoring or growing your bone. Dental implants can be used to replace one or more teeth. The best part about these implants is that they last for a lifetime, and the implant treatment is successful in most cases.
So, if you are looking for a permanent solution to replace lost teeth, you can opt for dental implants. Here are the three most common dental implants used by dentists across the world.
Single dental implant
As the name suggests, in this method, dentists use a single implant to permanently replace a single missing tooth, right from the root to the crown. If you have several missing teeth, you can still opt for this implant, provided the missing teeth are not next to each other. Though this is the simplest of all dental implants, it can become quite a costly procedure to opt for this when you have several missing teeth. Also, if you have missing teeth next to each other, a single dental implant wouldn’t work for you.
Implant-supported bridge
In this process, the dental implant serves as a bridge that helps to permanently replace several missing teeth, even if they are located adjacent to each other. In case of two adjacent missing teeth, dentists insert two crowns on either side, and place an artificial tooth in between. An implant-supported bridge is then used to connect these crowns to the implants.
So, if you have multiple missing teeth located adjacent to each other, you can save money by opting for this treatment instead of opting for several single implant treatments. However, as you can see, the crowns are located at the ends of the missing teeth are connected to implants. This means, the tooth located in the center will not have an implant; instead, you will only have an artificial tooth in its place. So, in the implant-supported bridge treatment, you will not receive implants for all the teeth that are missing from your mouth.
Implant-retained denture
This type of dental implant is used when you have lost most of your teeth in the upper or lower arch of your mouth. Dentures are artificial arches surgically inserted into your gum line, to resemble your actual teeth. Many older adults use removable dentures today, but these can slip or break at times. Implant-retained dentures are permanent replacements that can help you regain your confidence and beautiful smile.
Though these dental implants are great solutions for people with lost tooth/teeth, dentists don’t perform these treatments on all patients. Many factors will come into play, before a dentist decides whether dental implants can be inserted in a patient or not. What are these factors? Keep reading more to know about the same:
Structure of the bone
We already told you that dental implants are small, titanium posts surgically inserted to integrate with the jawbone. So, the structure and condition of the jawbone is a vital factor in deciding whether dental implant surgery can be performed on a patient or not. The bones around the regions of the missing tooth/teeth start to lose their structure & balance easily.
So, if it has been a long time since your lost your tooth, your jawbone may not be strong enough for the dentist to insert the implants under your gum line. Most dentists use ultra-modern scanners to check jawbone quality as a prerequisite. They proceed with inserting dental implants only if they are satisfied with the health of your jawbone, as per the scan reports.
Age of the patient
The jawbone and the overall teeth structure should have been developed nicely for the dentists to perform dental implant surgeries. So, this can be done only on adults. Sometimes, your kid may lose his tooth in a freak fall. In that case, a dentist will not use dental implants in him, because your kid’s facial structure would not have been fully developed by then. In most cases, girls need to be at least 16, and boys need to be at least 18 before becoming ideal candidates for dental implants.
Current health condition
Doctors would assess your general health condition before any surgery. Dental implant surgeries are no different from this rule. Dentists have a thorough check of your oral health to ensure you have healthy gums & teeth before opting for dental implant surgeries for you. Heavy smokers, for example, have nicotine stains all over their gums, and their gums are prone to a lot of decay and infection. Dentists don’t perform dental implant surgeries on them, as their jawbones are not healthy enough to accept the implants.
When opting for dental implants, we recommend you have an open discussion with your dentist about your current oral & generic health. It would help to listen to the pros & cons of all dental implants, before opting for one of them. It is also important to be aware of the side effects, if any, of these implants, to avoid ambiguity of any sort.
