How Dental Implants are Installed
Posted on 09. Apr, 2009 by Valerie in Cosmetic Imperfections, Surgical Procedures
Dental implants are a common way to fix severely damaged or missing teeth. When a tooth is gone or is too far damaged to repair, an implant can be fixed in its place. This not only prevents other teeth from shifting and impacting your bite, but also provides the full functionality of a normal tooth with no discernible difference in appearance.
Dental implant installation takes a period of a few months. This is because in order to be successful, the metal root to which the tooth will be attached should be a part of the jaw itself. When the root is put into place, a period of time must pass for the process of osteointegration to complete. Osteointegration is literally the regrowth of the jawbone around the implant to encapsulate it and make it a permanent fixture. This can take anywhere from three to six months.
The implant, usually made of titanium, is screwed into a drilled hole in the jaw bone. This is done while the patient is under general anesthesia. Once the implant screw is in place, a protective cover is put on top of it until osteointegration is complete to allow full healing. After this process is complete a temporary crown is placed to allow the gum to shape itself naturally. At the end of this process, the final and permanent crown is installed.
Dental implants have a rather high success rate, with approximately 95% being considered successful at the five year benchmark. While implants are not subject to cavities, gum infections and other hygiene related problems still exist, so proper dental care is still needed. Dental implants are not a substitute for proper oral hygiene, but can work well to restore a healthy look and functionality when teeth are lost for any reason.
