Dental Implants: Are They A Good Choice?

Dentures are a great answer to lost teeth and they have been for generations. Many of us know (or even have them ourselves) someone who has either full or partial dentures. They do the job of natural teeth, allowing the wearer to be able to smile, eat and talk properly.

As dentistry continues to progress however, people are coming up with new and improved ideas on how to deal with things like lost teeth. Where generations ago dentures were the only answer and only option, today a dentist can fix the lost tooth or teeth problem with dental implants.

A dental implant differs from dentures in that it is actually anchored into your jaw bone. It starts with a fixture that is inserted into your jaw and then allowed to fuse with the bone over a period of a few months. This acts as a replacement root if you will, and will allow your new tooth a level of stability and security you just can’t get with regular dentures. Most of these anchors or replacement roots if you will are made of titanium which fuses so well with the bone of the jaw that the success rate for dental implants is around 98%.

The fusion of the bone and the implant is called osseointegration and once that has occurred the rest of the implant can be placed. This will be the actual ‘tooth’ that is attached to the anchor, sometimes called a crown in dental terms, but it will be what you will see and what you will chew with.

Dental implants are used to restore function to your mouth. Missing teeth can cause you to chew differently which leads to uneven wear of remaining teeth and sometimes even problems with the jaw of the sufferer. Once they are placed, that is it, you have a new tooth and can go on with your life. They don’t impact your mouth in any negative way, they simply blend in with what you have and seamlessly work with your other teeth.

The one downside to dental implants is the cost, but as they are becoming more wide spread and people are understanding how much better they are than regular dentures the prices should come down. Insurance companies that once thought it was a cosmetic procedure and therefore deny claims are also coming to the conclusion that they are the way of the future of dentistry.