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 Dental
Implants are artificial tooth roots that replace natural tooth roots and
support prosthetic teeth (crowns, bridges.) The implants are titanium
posts that are surgically placed in the bone under your gums. During a
healing period, the bone grows around the implant. Then a replacement
tooth, or crown, is made and attached to the metal post, giving you a
restoration that is very much like your natural tooth. Implants can also
be used to secure bridges and dentures when more than one tooth is
missing.
Dental implants have improved the "quality of life" for millions of
people. Now, whether you're missing one tooth, or several, it doesn't
have to mean a lifetime of embarrassment, inconvenience, denture pain,
or worry about appearance. Thanks to dental implants, the world is
smiling a little bigger. In addition to providing support for the new
teeth, dental implants improve our ability to chew, are more
comfortable, and look better. They also keep the bone alive and keep it
from eroding away. And that's not all. By stabilizing the upper and
lower jaw bone, which supports the face, improved facial appearance is
also achieved. Yes, there are many benefits of dental implants!
Unfortunately, missing teeth, medically referred to as edentulism,
affects many people by having an impact on their "quality of life". It
can affect many aspects of their lives from their appearance and
self-esteem, to the foods they are able to eat, and therefore, their
health.
 There's another price to pay for edentulism. Bone loss. The purpose of
the jaw bone is to support the teeth. When teeth are lost, Mother Nature
assumes there is no more need for the bone that supported the teeth and
over time, the bone slowly, yet progressively dissolves. In fact, the
upper and lower jawbone get smaller or shrink. This process occurs at a
more rapid rate if many or all teeth are missing. If left untreated, the
loss of bone can progress to the point that a denture will no longer
stay in place no matter how much adhesive is used.
Dental implants keep the bone alive and help keep it from eroding away. |
