What are Dental Implants?
As an effective tooth replacement therapy, dental implants are not only a product of scientific discovery, research, and understanding; they have also developed through application and implementation in clinical practice. The practice of implant dentistry requires extensive training and experience in diagnosis, planning, and oral surgery, as well as fabrication and tooth restoration.
Dental Implant Tooth Replacement Therapy
A dental implant is not, in fact, a new tooth or prosthetic. It is actually a wonderfully effective replacement for the root (or roots) of a lost tooth. As with a natural tooth root, your dental implants are secured within your jawbone; they are not visible once surgically placed.
Rather, dental implants are used by your prosthodontist to secure your replacement teeth, such as crowns, bridgework or dentures, by a variety of means. The implants themselves are made of titanium, while your prosthetic teeth are most commonly made of acrylics.
Titanium is lightweight, strong, and biocompatible, meaning that it will not rejected by the body (in the vast majority of patients). Titanium and titanium alloys are the most widely used metals in both dental and other bone implants, such as orthopedic joint replacements. Dental implants have the highest success rate of any implanted surgical device.
Because of titanium’s special property of fusing to bone, in this case your jawbone, it has become the biological basis of dental implant use and success; because, when you lose teeth, the bone that supported those teeth will shrink and may also be lost. The placement of dental implants will stabilize the supporting bone in your jaw, preventing its loss.
Boost Confidence & Self-esteem with Dental Implants
Along with enabling us to replace the teeth you’ve lost with prosthetics, dental implants will help to maintain the shape and density of your jawbone. The use of dental implants will also support your facial skeleton and, indirectly, the soft tissue structures surrounding the implants: gum tissues, cheeks, and lips. Dental implants help you to chew and eat comfortably; to talk and smile with renewed confidence; and to look completely natural. The enhanced functionality of dental implants as a tooth replacement therapy improves social, psychological and physical well-being – leading to increased confidence and self-esteem – even after total tooth loss.
The doctors and staff at The Colorado Center for Implant and Prosthetic Dentistry are available to help you determine effective solutions to all of your dental problems. If you would like more information from your Littleton area Prosthodontist, please call to make an appointment today.