Implants

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are artificial tooth roots that are placed in your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Procedures can be done to fix just one tooth or can even replace all teeth.

Use dental implants to protect your healthy teeth and keep your smile in place – discreetly! Be advised that they must be cared for in the same way your original teeth are cared for. Make sure to consistently floss and brush. Implant-supported dentures will still be susceptible to the danger of getting cavities.

A few benefits to having your dentures implanted are :

To protect your healthy jaw bone and gum lines:

The downside to wearing traditional removable dentures is that over time the jawbone deteriorates due to the constant pressure of chewing and the lack of a tooth root to support its height, width and density. Losing your bone density will result in having to get a bone graft to support the implementation of dentures. Don’t wait bone loss and talk to your dentist this week.

Less of a Diet Restriction:

As opposed to traditional dentures, implant dentures don’t limit or restrict your diet and you can still comfortably chew and eat some of your old favorite foods again.

No Embarrassing Denture Slip Outs:

Having your dentures implanted allows you the freedom to eat without the stress or worry of having the fall out. Let yourself enjoy life again!

Long Lasting:

Give yourself teeth built to last. Implanted dentures are not only cost effective, they are also durable, help preserve bone, and prevent facial structure deterioration.

Skip the Dental Adhesive Cost:

Save long term by skipping the cost of dental adhesives. Implant-supported dentures eliminate the hassle of dealing with the uncomfortable taste and cleaning process that arises with use of dental adhesives.

Dental implant surgery risk include :

Infection at the dental implant site :

There are a number of reasons an infection may develop after getting dental implant surgery. The main concern behind infections such as “peri-implantitis” is the risk of more bone loss. The infection can spread and affect neighboring teeth and implants. Some infections have occurred due to the direct result of a dental surgeon’s lack of experience or negligence. It is vital to do thorough research while choosing your oral dentist. It would behoove you to ask him or her how many similar cases they perform per week and how many years of experience they have accumulated.

Nerve and Tissue Damage :

If your implants are incorrectly surgically installed or too close to a nerve, concerns for damage to the tissue surrounding the implant and specifically damage to the nerve arise. In most all cases, this is the result of mistake made by an inexperienced doctor. It is normal to expect some bleeding and pain for a few days after your dental implant procedure, although extreme pain and excessive bleeding is not normal. Should you feel any chronic pain or tingling or numbness of your cheek, chin, lips, gums, or tongue, contact your dentist immediately. This issue can be resolved if attended to sooner rather than later.

Allergic Reaction :

Modern day dental implants are typically made from titanium alloy that contain some traces of nickel. It is rare, but there are a few patients who are allergic to titanium. If an allergic reaction is of concern to you, ask your dentist about the MELISA test. This is the only method scientifically-proven to determine whether or not you have an allergy to titanium and how severe the allergy is.

The Smoker’s Risk :

Studies have proven that smokers carry a higher risk of having their dental implant procedure fail. Smokers risk postoperative infection and significant jawbone loss.

Foreign Body Rejection :

Just like an organ transplant may result in the patient’s body rejecting the new organ, it is possible your body may reject the dental implant. The way this works is that your body recognizes your implant as a foreign object and pushes it out from where it feels it doesn’t belong.

Important Note:

Makes sure to discuss in detail the pros and cons of receiving dental implants with your dentist. If you do notice your dental implant has failing, remember to speak to your dentist as soon as possible. At times it is possible to save a dental implant, but help must be sought out immediately! In most cases the failed implant can be removed and depending on how well the jawline heals, a bone graft may be required to act as a stronger foundation to improve the success rate of the dental implant.