The Inside Story on Dental Implants

Part of making sure your smile is as beautiful as it can be means that you may have to undergo some dental procedures that will assist you in having straight, beautiful teeth for the rest of your life.

One of these procedures may include dental implants. But what exactly are dental implants, and how do they aid in the health of your teeth and gums?

A dental implant is a metal screw that is placed in the jaw bone; the screw is actually an anchor that holds a false tooth in your mouth, and it can even be strong enough to hold in a whole set of false teeth.

In extreme cases, dental implants are used to insert a whole set of dentures (top and bottom) for people who are missing all their teeth, but the procedure is mostly used to replace a bridge or a single tooth.

If you think you may need a dental implant, you are probably eligible for one; you just have to make sure you are in good health, and do not have any infections at the time of the implant.

The dentist will also make sure that you have adequate bone mass in the place where the dental implant will be placed. This ensures that the dental implant will be secure and can do its job. You should also know that the process is not very immediate.

Although dental implants have proven to work very well for most people, you have to wait about three months in the lower jaw after the implant is inserted for the dentist to place the teeth in your mouth, and about six months for the upper jaw. This will give the implant time to set so that your bone will adequately support it.

Fortunately, the success rate of dental implants is very high; over 90% of people who get dental implants do not have any problems with the implants. However, a small percentage of people do experience infection in the mouth and bone if the implant does not fit itself in the bone properly.

And in some rare cases, the implant will fail to adhere to the bone altogether, and will fall out. Your dentist should be able to let you know if these factors will be a potential problem for you before the procedure, but these complications can be fixed if they do occur.

Many people are choosing dental implants over traditional dentures because they provide more of a permanent look of healthy teeth and gums.

Dentists are also finding that removable dentures become unstable in the mouth after wearing them for years, so implants can eliminate the hassle of constantly finding dentures that will fit.

Talk to your dentist today about getting dental implants; the process is somewhat long, but it may be the best dental decision you have ever made.

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