Endosseous implants, commonly called dental implants, act as anchors to support weakened teeth and teeth with various issues. If a prosthetic component like a denture or crown is added to a tooth, the dental implant helps add extra support to the prosthetic element.

What Is a Dental Implant?

A dental implant is often a metal piece that is placed below the gum before the tooth replacement is added. The artificial tooth added would have to be strongly fixed to your gums in order to hold it in place when you chew, and this is where a dental implant helps. It offers a naturally fitting solution.

Good Candidates

The patient’s age doesn’t really matter when it comes to dental implants. No matter what the age or gender of the person is, if there is a tooth extraction done with an artificial tooth replacement or even to replace or add part of a tooth, the patient might be given a dental implant.

Often, injury leads to chipping one or more teeth and sometimes breaking off a large part of a tooth. A complete tooth can even be lost. If a part of the tooth is chipped, say the crown, then there might be a prosthetic crown added. To hold it in position so that it doesn’t move or come off, you would be given a dental implant.

Getting your teeth examined by a dentist helps you understand whether or not you will need a dental implant. As long as the jaw health is good and the patient is fit enough to recover, then a dental implant can be conveniently positioned.

Types of Dental Implants

There are two main types of dental implants:

  • Endosteal implants are the most common option. They look like screws and are directly anchored into the jawbone. To add the actual artificial tooth, the gums around the implants are allowed to heal and then another surgery is done to fix the artificial tooth.
  • With subperiosteal implants, the dental surgery process differs. These are not fixed into the jawbone but over them. The gums heal and hold the implant frames in place on the jawbone and the artificial tooth is mounted. These are particularly useful for patients who require a dental replacement but have a shallow jawbone.

The Benefits of Dental Implants

  • Conventional dentures and crowns added without the implants might not last very long. But if the replacement is mounted with a strong implant in place, you might not need another tooth replacement ever again.
  • As the implants are directly fitted into the jawbone or above them, they give a natural fit to the tooth being placed. This means that patients typically do not feel the presence of anything artificial.
  • Implants are positioned so that the gums heal and grow over them naturally and leave no protruding sides. This means that patients feel no discomfort while eating and talking.

Evaluation for a Dental Implant

If you would like to set up a consultation to be evaluated for a dental implant, contact the office of Dr. Dan Miller, a skilled cosmetic dentist. Dr. Miller will be happy to help you restore that healthy smile.