Dental Implants: Procedure, Risks, and Benefits
Despite advances in dentistry, periodontal disease, injuries, and tooth decay are reasons why Americans lose their natural teeth. Dentures and bridges were the only replacement solutions for missing teeth for quite some time. Fortunately, dentistry has advanced even further, making dental implants the preferred option for replacing missing teeth.
Dental Implants Explained
Dental implants near you are replacement tooth roots that provide a stable foundation for fixed and removable replacement teeth customized to match your natural teeth. When missing teeth makes you susceptible to the consequences of the loss, the benefits of this procedure will ensure you overcome all challenges you confront without your natural teeth.
Loss of teeth sends you searching for replacement solutions making inquiries with the dentist near you who recommends dental implants as best to restore your mouth’s functionality and smile. Unfortunately, you also receive information that your physical and oral health determines whether or not you can have dental implants. Therefore before you proceed further, we recommend you get yourself evaluated by an expert to determine whether dental implants best suit your requirements.The dentist may recommend bone grafting before implant if you have bone loss.
The Procedure for Getting Dental Implants
If getting dental implants in Saint Paul, MN, the provider starts the process by creating a personalized treatment plan addressing your specific requirements and prepared by a professional team specially trained and experienced in oral surgery. The approach of the group provides coordinated care based on the implant option that is best for you.
After going through the planning stage, the dental implant, a small titanium post, is embedded into the bone socket of the missing tooth. After that, your jawbone integrates with the implanted titanium post in an osseointegration process, anchoring it securely in your jawbone. The healing process requires approximately three to six months.
After the implant has successfully anchored in your jaw, you must have another surgery to receive the abutment of a connector post that holds your dental crown and need a further two weeks of healing time.
Finally, after you recover from abutment placement, the dentist takes impressions of your teeth to create a model of your bite, capturing all your teeth, their type, and arrangement. Your new teeth are created on the model the dentist provides to the dental laboratory.
Your dentist also matches the color of your artificial teeth and your remaining natural teeth. As your jawbone secures them, the replacement teeth will appear, function, and feel similar to your natural teeth.
Dental Implant Benefits
After receiving dental implants, you accrue multiple benefits because dental implants appear, and feeling like your natural teeth improve your speech, unlike alternative replacement solutions that impact it.
You don’t find it challenging to eat the foods you love because the implants function like your natural teeth and will likely not slip around in your mouth when having your favorite foods.
Preserving your jawbone is another responsibility of dental implants. Tooth loss encourages jawbone deterioration, giving your face a sagging appearance. Dental implants prevent jawbone deterioration by functioning as your artificial tooth to stimulate the bone and prevent resorption.
You also enjoy better dental health because dental implants don’t need support from the neighboring teeth because they are standalone applications. If dental bridges require your adjacent teeth for support, dental implants support the artificial tooth themselves making it convenient for you to maintain excellent dental hygiene as recommended by your dentist.
The Risks of Dental Implants
Dental implants require surgery and any surgical procedure has risks associated with it. After completing your surgery and getting dental implants, the dentist recommends allowing the implanted posts to recover appropriately by permitting them to integrate with your jawbone. Meanwhile, they advise not to smoke or indulge in alcohol consumption because these practices can delay healing time and lead to implant failure.
After getting dental implants, you must maintain excellent dental hygiene by brushing your teeth twice daily and flossing them at least once. However, you must remain cautious with the brushing and flossing to ensure you remove all plaque on your teeth and between them. Plaque is the leading cause of gum disease, another reason that contributes to implant failure.
Dental implants require equal attention to your natural teeth. Your dentist recommends the best practices to maintain appropriate dental hygiene to care for your dental implants and overall health after replacing your natural teeth with this excellent solution.
Little Canada Dental provides dental implants in Saint Paul to patients with good physical and oral health with adequate jawbone. They also offer implants for patients with inadequate jawbone. If you have missing teeth impacting your mouth’s functionality, kindly schedule your appointment with this practice today to start your journey to get dental implants as replacements for your natural teeth.