Article by Dental Suti Clinic

Oral health has a big role in peoples overall health. If there is a problem with your teeth, you can’t properly chew food, speak or breathe. All of these factors can be very serious problems for general health and that is why oral health needs to be taken very seriously. Today, people care about the health of their teeth as well as about the aesthetics. With dental implants, patients have the opportunity to have both health and beauty, and today’s dentistry is all about that.

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are screws that are placed in a jaw bone in a place of the missing tooth. The screw represents the root of the missing tooth, and it is firmly fixed in the jaw bone. On top of the screw, you will receive a ceramic crown, which represents the crown of the missing tooth. This whole structure is fixed together in a beautiful and strong artificial tooth.

Every missing tooth needs to be replaced

Every tooth in the mouth has a role in chewing and speaking. All of the teeth, in both jaws, are working together in a perfect balance. If one tooth is missing, that balance is changed. Empty space that remains after the tooth extraction causes adjacent teeth to lean into it. This leaning can cause several problems, such as gums inflammation, tooth decay and resorption of the bone. This damage is far more severe if a patient has several teeth extracted. In order to remain the balance in your mouth, a dental patient must replace all of the missing teeth.

There are 3 main dental implant reconstructions:

1. Replacing one missing tooth – this is a very common situation. A patient can lose one tooth because of the periodontitis or severe tooth decay. You may think that this is not a big deal for your oral health, but this empty space that is remaining after the tooth extraction will cause your other teeth to shift and move. This is why it is very important to replace one missing tooth. A dental implant will be placed in the bone, on the exact place where your natural tooth once was. After the healing process of the bone, you will receive a ceramic crown that will fit into your mouth by its size, shape, and color.

source: http://tomkendental.com/dental-implants-erindale/

2. Replacing several missing teeth in a row – dental bridge on implants. As you may know by now, a dental bridge is a construction that is replacing missing teeth by having the adjacent teeth used as anchors. In dentistry, this can be a problem in several ways. First of all, sometimes patients don’t have adjacent teeth because they lost them as well. Second of all, having a bridge done means that you will have to have your adjacent teeth drilled, even if they are perfectly healthy. In the part of the jaw where several teeth are missing, the dentist will put several implants that will be used as anchors. The number of implants depends on how many teeth are missing. This kind of dental implant procedure can also be done with dental patients that have lost all of their teeth, in one or both jaws. All of this information you will receive from your dental therapist when the complete analysis of your oral health is done.

3. Improving the fit of a loose denture – if a patient has lost all of the teeth in a jaw, sometimes is very hard to get used to having dentures. They are big and they can move in your mouth while you are chewing or speaking. This mainly happens because of the severe bone loss after the teeth extractions. In that situation, mini implants can be placed in the jaw. Those implants have their places in the denture and they will provide stability and strength for your bite. A denture is still removable so you can wash it and put it back in place. The stability in this kind of dental implant procedure is much better. If you already have dentures that fit your mouth, they can be reused for this procedure.

source: https://sherwoodparkdental.ca/ab/sherwood-park/dental-implants/

How does dental implants procedure look like?

A procedure of putting dental implants in your bone is always done with local anesthetics. If you are feeling nervous, you can also receive some sedation. Your surgeon will explain to you everything and during this procedure, you will not feel any pain. After the surgery is done, you will have some stitches in your mouth for 7 days. You may have to take some painkillers in the first few days after the surgery. After 7 days, the surgeon will remove your stitches and the healing part of the procedure begins. Depending on your bone, you will have to wait for several months before receiving a crown or a bridge on the implants. During this period of time, you can have some temporary teeth placed in your mouth that will allow you to function normally during these few months. When the healing is done, a dental expert will have your crowns or bridge done in few weeks.

The types of dental implants:

There are a few types of dental implants and techniques that can be used:

–endosteal, that is placed into the jaw bone when there is enough of the bone left.

–subperiosteal, that is used in cases when a patient does not have enough bone, so the implant is placed under the gums.

Are you a candidate for dental implants?

Having dental implants placed in the bone is a serious surgical procedure. You need to have good oral health (absence of the inflammation of the gums and enough of bone structure), as well as good overall health. Patients with chronical diseases such as diabetes or immune deficiencies are not good candidates for this kind of surgery. Also, smokers and alcohol abusers will not be candidates for a dental implants procedure.

After having your implants and teeth in place, you will need to take good care of your oral hygiene. You will also have to come to your regular dental checkups twice a year. This way your dental implant can last you for the rest of your life.