What are Dental Implants?

A dental implant is a small titanium fixture that is surgically placed into your jawbone to hold a dental prosthesis (replacement tooth, bridge or denture) in place. It replaces the root of your missing tooth and provides an anchor for your dental prosthesis.

Dental implants can be used to provide support for the replacement of one tooth or all teeth. Implant-supported teeth can be cemented, screw-retained or removable and can be made attractive, stable and comfortable for almost any patient.

More than half a million people have been successfully treated since the first dental implant treatments were performed over thirty years ago. This treatment has been available in the U.S. for more than a decade and has earned the Seal of Acceptance from the American Dental Association.

Implants can replace a single missing tooth without involving healthy adjacent teeth. The other common treatment for the loss of a single tooth, a tooth-supported fixed bridge, requires that adjacent teeth be ground down to support the cemented bridge. A single tooth implant will restore both function and appearance without harming surrounding teeth and gum tissue.

Because a dental implant will replace your tooth root, the bone is better preserved. With a bridge, some of the bone that previously surrounded the tooth begins to resorb (deteriorate). Dental implants integrate with your jawbone, helping to keep the bone healthy and intact.

Implants can replace several adjacent missing teeth and some of their roots. In addition to looking and functioning like natural teeth, implant-supported bridges replace teeth without support from adjacent natural teeth.

In addition, because implant-supported bridges will replace some of your tooth roots, your bone is better preserved. With a fixed bridge or removeable partial denture, the bone that previously surrounded the tooth may begin to resorb (deteriorate).

In the long-term, dental implants are esthetic, functional and comfortable. Gums and bone can recede around a fixed bridge or removable partial denture, leaving a visable defect. Resorbed bone beneath bridges or removable partial dentures can lead to a collapsed unattractive smile. The cement holding bridges in place can wash out, allowing bacteria to decay teeth that anchor the bridge. In addition, removable partial dentures can move around in the mouth and reduce your ability to eat certain foods.

Life with a full denture means more than just missing your teeth. Problems associated with a denture extend far beyond tooth loss, affecting comfort, ability to chew foods, even self-image and social considerations. If you are missing all of your teeth, an implant-supported full bridge or full denture can replace them. Dental implants will replace both your lost natural teeth and some of the roots.

In addition to looking and functioning like natural teeth, implant-supported full bridges and dentures are designed to be long-lasting. Implant-supported full bridges and dentures are also more comfortable and stable than conventional dentures, allowing you to retain a more natural biting and chewing capacity.

In the long-term, implants can be more esthetic and easier to maintain than conventional dentures. The loss of bone that accompanies conventional dentures leads to reccession of the jawbone and a collapsed, unattractive smile. Conventional dentures make it difficult to eat certain foods.