Dental Implants
Dental implants are titanium replacement tooth roots that is placed into the jawbone to support tooth-like ceramic crowns.
Dental implant surgery is, of course, surgery, and is best done by a trained surgeon. The oral and maxillofacial surgeon (OMS) has the specialized education and training in the complexities of the bone, skin, muscles and nerves involved, to ensure you get the best possible result in recreating a natural looking smile. A 2014 study suggests greater implant success rates when performed by a dental specialist.
“Dental implants have an overall success rate of 95%.”
Why Dental Implants?
If you are embarrassed by the need to wear plastic removable denture, then a dental implant is for you.
Dental implants are an excellent solution for individuals who:
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Do not cope well with denture wearing like their grandparents did.
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Wish for tooth replacement that feels and look natural. It will look virtually indistinguishable from your other teeth. You will also be able to brush it like your own teeth.
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Wants to regain normal chewing abiltiy and sense of taste unafforded by plastic removable dentures.
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Believes in conserving and protecting the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth gap. In comparison, dental implants exists as a unit on its own.The only other fixed replacement solution for missing teeth is a fixed bridge. However this involves grinding down neighboring teeth to hold the missing tooth/teeth.
The implants are made of titanium metal that "fuses" with the jawbone through a process called "osseointegration." There's no short cut to get around that process, and it usually takes several months once the implant is put into your jawbone. Osseointegration, however, is why implants never slip or make embarrassing noises like dentures, and why bone loss is usually not a problem.