Information about Dental Implants

Dental implants are a great solution to thoroughly damaged teeth that can’t be saved, or for replacing missing teeth. Although a dentist’s first choice is to always save an existing tooth with procedures such as root canals, sometimes there is no choice but to extract a seriously damaged tooth.

Implants are based on a titanium implant (it looks basically like a screw) that is inserted into the jawbone in the root hole left from the natural tooth. The implant is placed and the surrounding jawbone is allowed to grow around and anchor it. When that process is complete, a post is attached to the implant and a crown (a false tooth) is placed onto the post.

Your dentist will discuss the options with you and do a thorough examination to make sure you are a good candidate for dental implants. You need to have sufficient jawbone mass to accept the implant. If you have had a missing tooth or teeth for some time, you may have lost some jawbone mass, so a jawbone graft could be required before you would be ready for an implant. There are some pre-existing health issues that would also preclude you from being a good candidate for implants.

Once you get an implant or implants, one of the worst things you can do is to continue smoking. This is a good way to ruin the work that was done. Smoking decreases the body’s ability to heal. You are also risking periodontal disease, infection, and inflammation by continuing this habit. Your whole body will thank you for quitting.

Otherwise, once you have implants, caring for them is the same as your natural teeth. Brushing three times a day and flossing once daily is all you need to do. Then you can enjoy your implanted teeth, chewing and eating as you would with natural teeth, usually for the rest of your life.