What are Dental Implants?

When a patient loses a tooth, the bone corresponding to it tends to shrink with time. However, this shrinkage can be avoided if dental implants are placed. Acting as a new root in the bone, dental implants provide dentists the chance to replace a missing tooth by attaching a crown or a partial denture on top of them. Dental implants are made of titanium in the shape of a root with some threads allowing easy placement into the bone.

Treatment through dental implants, according to statistics, is one of the most predictable and long lasting procedures. For reasons like where they are placed and how they are used, dental implants are regarded as having the capability to replace a missing tooth in the most natural of ways. Since dental implants offer a conservative approach to replacing missing teeth, dentists do not have to be aggressive with adjacent teeth. Moreover, patients have the benefit of keeping their dental implants healthy since you cannot get cavities with dental implants. Furthermore, if used in the correct manner, dentists are able to place several implants in a patient’s mouth, providing a firmer and more stable foundation for dentures. As a result, such patients will once again be able to eat hard foods like steaks and cheeseburgers.

If correctly integrated into the bone, dental implants have the ability to last as long as a normal tooth; which is a lifetime. In fact, a dental implant has more of a chance to last a lifetime than a normal tooth because it is not prone to decay and cavities. However, if patients don’t take care of the their implants with regular brushing, flossing and good oral hygiene practices, gum loss and bone loss can occur as a consequence. If taken care of properly, dental implants can indeed last a lifetime.

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