Understanding Dental Implants and How They Work
Have you lost a few teeth or had all your teeth extracted because of infections like gum disease, and now consider replacement solutions for them? You have chosen correctly because your dental healthcare provider will likely recommend that you have the missing teeth replaced with dental implants, presently considered the gold standard for missing teeth replacements.
You might not have heard about dental implants or how they function and wonder what the dentist suggests to close the yawning gap in your mouth. Unfortunately, your feelings are justified because you might need more information on the latest dentistry techniques for replacing missing teeth. However, if you research dental implants, you will realize the dentist in Kingston, PA is recommending a replacement solution that remains with you for life after you have them in your jawbone with natural-looking porcelain teeth mounted on them.
Dental Implants Explained
Dental implants are titanium posts surgically embedded in your jawbone to replace your natural tooth root. If you accept the dentist’s suggestion to have dental implants embedded in your jawbone, you must wait for several months until the bone surrounding the implant integrates with the titanium post securely. The dentist attaches replacement teeth with a tiny connector post to fill the gap between your teeth with artificial teeth.
Kinds of Implants You Can Have
Dental Implants in Forty Fort, PA, offer different types of implants to function as your artificial tooth roots. For example, if you miss a single tooth, the dentist suggests endosteal implants appearing like tiny screws created from biocompatible materials like titanium that safely integrate with your body. After the insertion of endosteal implants in your jaw, the titanium post replaces your tooth root. However, you will need one implant for every missing tooth.
Unfortunately, if you have lost all your teeth due to extractions, you may think dental implants are unsuitable for your needs because getting one implant for every tooth might seem impractical. However, as mentioned earlier, dental implant technology has evolved, making it possible for you to receive an entire arch of upper or lower teeth using full-mouth dental implants with fixed or removable implant-supported dentures to restore your mouth functionality and smile.
Full-mouth dental implants don’t mean dentists surgically insert multiple implants in your jaw for every tooth. Instead, four or six implants are strategically placed in your jawbone to secure an entire teeth arch in the upper and lower jaw.
What Does the Dental Implant Procedure Entail?
Whether you need single tooth implants or complete mouth surgery is an essential requirement of the dental implant procedure. The term surgery might seem frightening, but the providers complete the process in one day, depending on how many implants you need to replace your missing teeth.
If replacing a couple of missing teeth, you find it beneficial to have endosteal implants inserted deep into your jawbone during the surgery without enduring intense pain. The providers ensure you receive adequate anesthesia to numb your mouth during the process when they make incisions in your gums and drill holes deep into the bone to place the titanium post.
If you need full mouth implants, the process is similar, but the fewer number of implants placed in your jawbone makes it convenient for you to have a temporary denture placed over them immediately for aesthetic purposes.
You can expect discomfort and swelling in your mouth after the placement of dental implants, no matter which type you receive. The pain lasts for a few days, but you can resume your regular activities the day after getting dental implants placed.
You must allow the dental implant to integrate with your body in an osseointegration process when the titanium posts integrate with your body securely to hold your artificial teeth over them. Osseointegration requires three to six months before you undergo another surgery to attach the connector post on single dental implants. When connecting the connector posts, the provider takes impressions of your mouth to have your porcelain teeth custom created by a dental laboratory. You might have to wait for another three weeks until the dental lab returns your artificial teeth. Your final appointment with the provider is to have the porcelain teeth attached to the implant to function as a replacement for your lost teeth.
Caring for Implanted Teeth
Consider the implanted teeth similar to your natural teeth because they require the same attention. Besides brushing twice daily, flossing once, and getting oral prophylaxis every six months, you must ensure you don’t allow dental plaque to accumulate around your natural and implanted teeth because it can result in gum disease to weaken your jawbone and cause implant failure. Besides the above, you can rest assured the implanted teeth will remain in your mouth for life with proper care.
If you intend to replace your missing teeth with dental implants in Forty Fort, PA, NEPA dental group provides them with comprehensive instructions on caring for them to give you a permanent replacement that remains with you for life. Consult this practice for the replacements to begin your journey to restore your mouth functionality.