Why Choose Dental Implants?
Dental implants are extremely durable because they restore both the tooth root and the actual tooth. Rather than sitting on the surface of your gums like dentures, dental implants integrate with your jawbone, providing the most secure tooth replacement possible. This is why dental implants offer exclusive advantages that aren’t found in other restorative treatments.
More Advantages of Dental Implants
Due to the osseointegration process, dental implants provide greater longevity and durability than any other restoration treatment. Some of the other advantages found only in dental implants include the following:
- Last a lifetime if properly cared for
- Prevent the jawbone from shrinking over time
- After a brief recovery period, you can eat any type of food
- Cleaning your dental implants is as simple as brushing and flossing
- Never worry about losing or removing your implants
Three Parts of a Dental Implant
Knowing how a dental implant is constructed helps our patients understand why they’re more durable than other options. These are the three main parts of a dental implant:
- Titanium Fixture. The fixture is the actual implant that is inserted through the gums to integrate with the jawbone. Titanium is chosen because it’s one of very few substances that bond perfectly with human bone in a process called osseointegration.
- Abutment. The abutment is the piece that connects the fixture to the restoration. It’s designed to form a tight connection between the other two pieces and is an integral part of the implant’s structure.
- Restoration. The restoration is the actual replacement tooth that connects to the abutment. This is typically a crown, and it’s designed to look as close to a natural tooth as possible. The exact shade of the restoration will be chosen before the treatment.
The Ideal Candidate for Dental Implants
To qualify for the dental implants treatment, a patient must already be missing at least one tooth. It’s typically advised that pregnant women wait before undergoing the dental implant process, since it’s recommended that they avoid anesthesia. Also, patients who smoke tobacco or drink alcohol in excess may be disqualified, since both of these habits can jeopardize the success of dental implant treatment.
