Give Your Jaw the Gift of a New Titanium Friend

In December’s first frosty blog, we gave you a little pop quiz about some facts surrounding missing teeth and their awesome replacement, the dental implant. Since many people are missing a tooth or two, let’s stay with implants in this final blog of another COVID-stained year.

Let’s get into the pluses of implants, and how Dr. Egger places them for our patients from Mt. Pleasant and the surrounding areas.

What are the advantages of having a dental implant?

When it comes to replacing a tooth, most people think of a bridge. Bridges use crowns on each side of the missing tooth or teeth to cover the remaining teeth, anchoring the artificial teeth on an acrylic base between them. The crowns and the artificial teeth are made as one piece.

Compared to a dental bridge, implants are far superior. Here’s why:

• Dental implants behave exactly like a natural tooth, so the patient can eat any foods and chew normally.
• Unlike bridges, where adjacent “abutment teeth” need to be crowned to anchor the bridge holding the false tooth or teeth, implants stand alone.
• Implants keep adjacent teeth from moving.
• Implants are load-bearing teeth, so you don’t have to avoid chewing or biting with them. Plus, they transfer energy down into the jawbone just as natural teeth do.
• Implants have a 90 to 95% success rate and can last for decades, giving the patient back his or her smile and the ability to eat any foods.

How are dental implants placed?

• Consultation: The implant process begins with a consultation with Dr. Egger, who performs a full oral exam and takes x-rays and a CT scan to determine your jawbone mass.

• Placement: Next the titanium implant is placed into hole formerly occupied by the tooth root. Dr. Egger may have to drill a small hole into the jawbone to prepare it. The implant is shaped like a screw and is inserted in that fashion.

• Osseointegration: Now the patient simply waits three to six months as the jawbone naturally grows around and accepts the titanium implant.

• Abutment: When the jawbone has fully grown around the implant, a small metal post, called an abutment, is attached to the implant and the gum tissue is allowed to heal for around six weeks.

• Placing the crown: The final step is to place a custom-made porcelain crown onto the abutment. The crown is made to match the color and shape of the surrounding teeth so, once placed, it fits in naturally.

If you’re missing a tooth, 2022 should be the Year of the Dental Implant. Call Dr. Egger at (989) 773-3560, and let’s talk about it.