Oral implants are the most common treatment for missing teeth because of their durability, natural look, and functionality. Modern technology means that dental implants are more innovative and effective than ever.
But what exactly does replacing missing teeth with oral implants entail?
What Are Oral Implants?
Oral implants are screws made from titanium or zirconium oxide, which act as a prosthetic tooth root. The oral implant is inserted into the jawbone, and an artificial crown or tooth is attached to it.
Oral Implant Procedure
An oral implant procedure includes:
- Initial appointment: In your initial appointment, the dentist will review the treatment plan and your expectations.
- Scans: Scans and x-rays are taken of your mouth to provide a clear picture of your teeth and where the implant should be placed.
- Oral implant insertion: The oral implant is placed during a minor surgical procedure.
- Bone growth: Over the next few months, the bone will grow around the implant and stabilise it.
- Artificial tooth made: The artificial tooth is made while your implant site is healing.
- Artificial tooth placed in mouth: After the implant site has healed, it is time to fasten the artificial crown to the oral implant.
Benefits of Oral Implants
The benefits of oral implants include:
- Durable: Oral implants last longer than alternative treatments and if properly cared for, can last for a lifetime.
- Natural-looking: The oral implant and artificial crown are completely natural-looking and blend in perfectly with your natural teeth.
- Comfortable: Once your jawbone grows around the implant, it begins to feel like just a natural tooth, so much so that you may even forget that you have a dental implant!
- Prevents bone loss: After you lose a tooth, your body starts to reabsorb some of the bone tissue. An implant will help prevent this loss.
- Restores the appearance of your face: Suffering from tooth loss can cause your face to become sunken, with collapsed cheeks and sagging skin. Oral implants can help restore the structural integrity of your face.
- Keep surrounding teeth stable: A gap in your teeth can cause surrounding teeth to shift towards the gap, which can cause your teeth to become misaligned and crooked.
- Prevents gum disease: A gap in your teeth can cause bacteria and food to get trapped, leading to gum disease.
- Easy to care for: Oral implants don’t need any extra care. All you need to do is floss and brush regularly as you would with your natural teeth.
- Diet: You no longer have to be careful about eating hard or chewy foods.
- Renewed confidence: You no longer have to feel self-conscious about that gap in your teeth. You can smile widely and feel confident about your smile.
Risks
Some risks or downfalls of oral implants include:
- Time-consuming: The whole treatment process can be quite time-consuming, often taking months in total.
- Bone density needed: You need to have enough bone density and volume before undertaking the oral implant procedure. Some patients may require extra bone augmentation.
- Risks: As with any surgical procedure, there are certain risks involved, including infection, bleeding and nerve damage.
- Damage to surrounding areas: If oral implants aren’t positioned correctly in your mouth, they can damage the surrounding areas.
Who is Eligible for Oral Implants?
The patients who are eligible for oral implants include:
- People with missing teeth
- People who are at risk of suffering from facial collapse
- People who need support for loose dentures or dental bridges
- People who have an infected tooth and need that tooth removed
- People who are experiencing jawbone loss
Aftercare
Like any other surgical or medical procedure, careful care must be taken after your oral implant procedure. This includes:
- Pain relief: Take some pain relief medication to alleviate some of the pain after the procedure.
- Soft foods: Eat soft foods like soup, ice cream and jelly for the next few days after the procedure.
- Restrict certain things: Things like alcohol and tobacco consumption should be limited.
- Keep up oral hygiene: Continue your oral hygiene routines, including regular flossing and brushing.
- Contact your dentist: If something doesn’t feel quite right, be sure to contact your dentist.
Oral implants are the best solution for missing teeth. Its many benefits outweigh any possible risks, and it’s easy to see why more people are choosing oral implants to restore their smiles.
At Tulip Smile Dental Clinic, we provide the Southern Highlands (NSW) with comprehensive and holistic dental treatments. We take pride in ensuring our patients are comfortable and receive the best possible care. To find out more about our Dental Implant services, please contact us at (02) 4872 2186 or visit our website: https://tulipsmile.com.au/