It is quite possible that a relative or friend has used them and has told you about his or her experience. Today, we want you to know more about this technique, which is why we will tell you what dental implants are and how they work.
What Is a Dental Implant?
Dental implants themselves become an artificial root for a new tooth. In other words, the dental implant is the most ingenious way that has been discovered to fix a new tooth or any other tooth that has been lost. It consists of three parts:
- A screw-like metal stud, known as an implant.
- An abutment, which is fixed to the implant.
- A crown, designed in the shape of the original tooth, which is set to the abutment.
How Do Dental Implants Work?
The technique is very simple. As the name indicates, the titanium or zirconium stud is implanted inside the maxillofacial bone or jawbone. For this reason, we speak of osseointegrated or endo-osseous implants.
Although it involves inserting the implant into the bone, it is not a very invasive surgery, and it is quite fast. In fact, several dental implants can be placed in one day in a single operation. In this case, the dentist will place provisional crowns that will already be functional.
Later, when the healing process is complete, the definitive implants are placed. The bone will have had time to grow and will have fused with the screw-shaped stud, giving total and absolute stability to the implant. According to the type of implant and the location, the healing time varies between 3 and 6 months.
When Do You Need a Dental Implant?
We usually go to our trusted dental clinic when we have a problem with one of our teeth. Depending on the severity of the pathology, the dentiste will use one technique or another. Let’s look at the example of cavities.
- If you have good dental hygiene and you go for an annual check-up, usually, your dentist will detect any small cavities you may have and will be able to treat them with a simple filling.
- If you have been careless, or if you have very old fillings that may have leaked, a cavity may grow so much that it is necessary to do a root canal (kill the nerve and completely rebuild the tooth from the inside).
- A devitalized tooth is more fragile, and over time it is usually necessary to protect it with a crown.
- If you did not wear a crown, or if the one you had was very old, the tooth’s condition can deteriorate to the point that it breaks, and it is not possible to reconstruct it. In this case, it will be necessary to place a completely artificial piece, for example, a dental implant.
Dental implants are generally used when there is no possibility of preserving the original tooth. It can occur in various situations, such as poor dental health forcing tooth extraction, an accident, or gradual deterioration leading to the need to completely replace a tooth.
We hope that with this article, you have clarified your doubts about implants and how they work. Remember to maintain proper oral hygiene, and ask your dentiste if you have any doubts.