Things You Need to Know about Dental Implants and the Process
What are dental implants, you may be wondering, and how do they work? Dental implants are artificial teeth designed to replace your natural teeth. This is done if your natural teeth have fallen out or if they are in very bad condition and need to be replaced. Dental implants are made to look natural, and as real as possible. Unfortunately, they will require a little more upkeep to be able to properly ensure that they last for years to come. But, how do they work, then? Well, here is a basic outline of the way that they work.
Step 1: The Development of a Plan
First and foremost, after deciding that dental implants are the best fit with your situation, your dentist will work with you and their team to come up with a treatment plan. This plan will be focused solely on your needs, rather than general ideas. If your dentist does not specialize in oral surgery and restorative dentistry, you may have to go to a different doctor for this procedure to be done, and they will be the ones to come up with the plan. However, they will only do this after gaining a clear understanding of your situation and needs.
Step 2: The Root Implant
Dental implants are screwed into place. In order to actually screw them, there needs to be something to hold them in place. This requires a screw that works as a tooth root to be put in place. It is a small titanium post, which is put into the bone socket. Once this has been done, you have to heal and wait until the screws have bonded to the jawbone. Meaning, the bone has grown to cover the post, which keeps it securely in place, which can take anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks.
Step 3: The Addition of the Connector
Once the post has bonded to the bone, the connector piece, called an abutment, gets screwed into the posts. The abutment is the actual piece, which the new artificial tooth will be connected to. After this, there is a little more waiting before the teeth get added.
Step 4: The Mouth Model and Attach
In order to make the teeth perfect for you, there is a mold made that your bite. This will help make it much easier for the replacements, known as crowns, to be made. The mold will show the size, spacing, and arrangement of the teeth. Once the crowns have been made, they are attached to the abutment pieces.
There you have it; how dental implants work! Just because you have bad teeth does not mean dental implants are the option for you. Be sure to talk to your family dentist about the options you have, and if implants are worth considering. They can be done either for single teeth or multiple. If you have additional questions, contact wholelifedental.com in Plantation FL.
They offer cosmetic and restorative services to ensure you are given different options and solutions.