What is a dental implant?
A dental implant is an artificial synthetic tooth root that a periodontist sets into the jaw to hold a bridge or a replacement tooth.
Dental implants are the perfect solution for people who generally have good oral health who just happened to have lost a tooth or teeth because of periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason.
While high-tech in nature, dental implants are actually more tooth-saving than traditional bridgework, since implants do not rely on neighboring teeth for support.
Tooth implants look and feel so natural, that you may forget you ever lost a tooth.
You know that your confidence in your teeth affects how you feel about yourself, both personally and professionally. Perhaps you hide your smile because of spaces from missing teeth. Maybe your dentures don't feel secure. Perhaps you have difficulty chewing. If you are missing one or more teeth and would like to smile, speak, and eat again with comfort and confidence, there is good news! Dental implants are teeth that can look and feel just like your own!
Under proper conditions, such as placement by a specialist and diligent patient maintenance, implants can last a lifetime. Long-term studies continue to show improving success rates for implants.
Types of implants in use today
Endosteal (in the bone): This is the most commonly used type of implant. The various types include screws, cylinders, or blades surgically placed into the jawbone. Each implant holds one or more prosthetic teeth. This type of implant is generally used as an alternative for patients with bridges or removable dentures.
Subperiosteal (on the bone): These are placed on top of the jaw with the metal framework's posts protruding through the gum to hold the prosthesis. These types of implants are used for patients who are unable to wear conventional dentures and who have minimal bone height.
Advantages of dental implants over dentures or a bridge
Every way you look at it, tooth restoration with dental implants are a better solution to the problem of missing teeth.
- Esthetic: Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth! Since dental implants integrate into the structure of your bone, they prevent the bone loss and gum recession that often accompany bridgework and dentures. No one will ever know that you have a replacement tooth.
- Tooth-saving: Tooth implants don't sacrifice the quality of your adjacent teeth like a bridge does because neighboring teeth are not altered to support the implant. More of your own teeth are left untouched, a significant long-term benefit to your oral health!
- Confidence: Dental implants will allow you to once again speak and eat with comfort and confidence! They are secure and offer freedom from the irksome clicks and wobbles of dentures. They'll allow you to say goodbye to worries about misplaced dentures and messy pastes and glues.
- Reliable: Although there is a small chance of dental implant failure even if the treatment had been carried out with the utmost care, the success rate of dental implants is highly predictable. They are considered an excellent option for tooth replacement.
Popular dental implant brands
Some of the most popular brands are listed here, click on the links to get more detailed information about them:
- Alpha-Bio Tec as a company specializes in the development and production of unconventional solutions for dental problems mainly focusing on prosthetics and implants.
- AB dental implant is a great brand from Israel. This is one of the more affordable tooth implants.
- Ankylos dental implants offer very high quality for a reasonable price. A real value for money.
- The special surface of Biomet 3i dental implants allows excellent bonding. A great quality implant.
- Osseo Dental from Australia distributes mini dental implants. It is an ideal solution for long-term denture stabilization.
- Nobel Biocare is a well known and respected dental implant manufacturer. Nobel is an expensive but high-quality brand.
- Straumann dental implant is one of the more expensive tooth implants, however, its superior quality justifies the higher price. Straumann is a great solution to replace missing teeth.
- Zimmer Dental offers a wide range of choices if you need to replace missing teeth. The high quality of these teeth implants quickly made them a popular choice among dentists.
- While Same Day Dental Implants offer a much faster healing period, this comes with a price tag. The increased possibility of dental implant failure might outweigh the benefit of faster healing. Make sure you consult an oral surgeon before having Same-Day Dental Implants.
- All-on-four dental implants can be a cost-effective solution for those who have lost all of their upper or lower teeth. The procedere involves minimal pain and the recovery time is relatively short.
A short video about the dental implant procedure.