Dental implants are a state of the art treatment to replace missing teeth
Dental implants are made of titanium, which is bio-compatible, and are placed into the jaw bone and act like the root of a tooth. Implants can be used to replace a single tooth, multiple teeth, or even every tooth in your mouth. They can support crowns, bridges, and dentures.
Implant placement is a surgical procedure that involves placing the implant into the jaw bone. In most cases, a period of approximately 4-6 months is required for the implant to integrate into the bone so that it is stable enough to support a crown. During this time, depending on the case, a temporary crown may be placed. The patient will then return for the permanent restoration. When restored with a crown, the implant will look and feel like a natural tooth.
Implants for Dentures
Dental implants can also be an excellent way to anchor in loose dentures. Once a person has lost all of his/her teeth, over time, the bone in the jaw will reabsorb or shrink, which can cause a denture to be ill-fitting later in life. This can affect a person’s self-confidence because if their denture is loose, they may be afraid to smile and they frequently can’t eat the same types of foods they like to eat. This can result in having to constantly use messy, gooey denture adhesives, which offer only a limited benefit. Dentures can be affixed to dental implants, which offer tremendous retention and support, keep dentures in place, and allow a person to chew and smile again with confidence.
Mini Dental Implants
In cases where there is inadequate bone to support conventional or wider dental implants, mini dental implants, also known as narrow-diameter implants, can often be used. Mini implants come as small as 2 millimeters in diameter! These implants are very versatile and can be used in a variety of different clinical situations. They can be ideal in narrow spaces to replace a missing tooth with a crown but their most frequent use is to support and retain loose dentures.