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| Filling In Your Smile With Dental Implants |
| By Elly Kelzenberg |
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Dental technology has come a long way in the past half century and many of us have better smiles because of it. One of the most profound advances is the development of dental implants - devices that can free patients from the pain caused by missing teeth and give them the confidence to smile.
If your mouth has one or more missing teeth, it can limit your choice of food, place undue stress on your remaining teeth, and lower your confidence. In the past, dentists used only bridges and full or partial dentures to treat their patients. Now, a complete line of dental implants is available to replace teeth and repair smiles.
The Latest Technology
Implants are posts or fixtures that are placed in or on the jawbone to provide a firm foundation for prosthetic teeth. In general, the implant is surgically placed and then the jawbone is given time to heal around the device. After a period of time, the implant becomes the anchor to which a fabricated tooth is attached.
Regardless of age, anyone who is healthy and maintains good oral hygiene is a good candidate for dental implants. Researchers have found that implants are especially effective for patients who:
- want to replace a single, missing tooth (especially if their other teeth are healthy)
- want to support a bridge and eliminate the need for dentures
- want to support dentures and prevent the bone-loss problems associated with long-term denture wearing
- want to replace full dentures completely for greater comfort and a natural appearance
After restoration, implants act and feel like real teeth and offer solid, non-moving support. Implants restore proper chewing function, allow patients to smile confidently, eliminate the need for the gooey adhesives of dentures and eliminate painful or irritated gums.
The ABCs of Dental Implants
The length of treatment varies depending on the amount of work you need done, but generally, implant procedures take three to eight months to complete. Most implants are put in at the dental office using local anesthesia, and hospitalization is required only in rare, complex cases.
An implant team usually consists of three professionals: an oral and maxillofacial surgeon or periodontist, who performs all the surgeries and adjustments; a restorative dentist, who specializes in designing the final dental appliance; and a laboratory specialist, who fabricates what the dentist has designed for you. The cost of implant treatment varies depending on the number of implants, the type of implants and the type of replacement. Every patient requires different procedures, so talk to your dentist about the length and cost of your treatment.
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