Are you missing teeth or have been a long time denture wearer and have heard a lot about implants but are not quite sure about them? Well, dental implants are a permanent way to replace missing teeth. Dental implants have been around for almost 40 years and were invented by Professor Per Branemark in Europe. The purpose of a dental implant is to secure either a single tooth, bridge, or denture to the jaw bone. They have many advantages compared to traditional crown and bridge or dentures.
What is a dental implant? A dental implant is a small titanium cylinder that serves as a replacement for the root portion of a missing natural tooth that can be placed in the upper or lower jaw as one unit or several, depending on the solution. Without the root structure of the natural tooth present, the jaw bone will shrink over time. This shrinkage can make your face look much older than it is and affect your nutrition.
Dental implants have been around for more than three decades and over a million patients have been treated with a very long-term success rate. Why should you consider implants over other solutions? One, they look and feel like your natural tooth. Your healthy teeth do not need to be ground down to support dental implants. Anchoring dental implants in the jaw bone stimulates the bone and soft tissue. They do not require any adhesive to hold the new teeth in place if dentures are utilized. They eliminate the discomfort and insecurity of loose and ill-fitting dentures. With long-term denture use, there can be severe bone loss. There are methods in which this bone can be regenerated in order to aid in dental implant placement.