Even though everyone strives to make it through life without losing a tooth, this isn’t a goal everyone achieves. Fortunately, you have a wide range of attractive and effective options for replacing missing teeth. Dental implants are one of the newest, and one of the very best. If you’re interested in getting implants, a cosmetic dentist (or other specialist) should be able to help you.
How Implants Work
As the name implies, a dental implant is created by anchoring a replacement tooth into your jaw permanently. This is a basic three-step process. First, a titanium pin is screwed into your jaw to secure the implant. This is placed with care so that the bone near the pin will grow around it as it heals, forming a permanent connection.
Once the pin is placed and healed, an abutment is installed. This intermediate piece of equipment is designed to accept the final implant. Depending on your needs, the implant itself may be a crown designed to replace a single tooth or a removable dental insert that stands in for multiple teeth.
The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Dental Implants
The greatest advantage to getting a permanent dental implant is that it is one of the few tooth-replacement options that is utterly indistinguishable from your natural teeth. With proper hygiene and ordinary care, implants will last just as long as the teeth around. In case of damage, the outer parts of an implant can be repaired or replaced without requiring corrective oral surgery.
If this sounds too good to be true, you should be prepared for the major drawback to implants: They’re covered by very few insurance plans right now. This means you’ll have to foot the (rather substantial) bill on your own if you want the very best in replacement teeth.
Oral Surgery Is Nothing To Be Afraid Of
As far as invasiveness goes, the installation of an implant isn’t a scary procedure. People who have gone through it say that it involves no more discomfort than an ordinary tooth extraction. There are a wide range of experienced dental surgeons — including reconstructive and cosmetic dentists – who are more than capable of handling an implant procedure. The healing process takes a while (up to 12 weeks) but there’s minimal pain. Over-the-counter analgesics are usually more than enough to handle any discomfort.
Dental implants aren’t for everybody. For one thing, the lack of insurance coverage puts them outside of many people’s budgets. If you demand the very best in new teeth, though, the durability of implants and their excellent visual appearance make them very tempting. Talk to our Spindale NC cosmetic dentist today to find out if implants are right for you!