Dental Implants 101: The Procedure, Risks, and Types.

Having missing teeth is affects more than just your smile. The gaps in between your teeth can cause the surrounding teeth to shift. This eventually causes the dental structure to weaken. Furthermore, missing teeth can cause the alveolar bone to deteriorate and further weakens the teeth. Closing these gaps is crucial to maintaining your dental structure and health. We have several dental solutions, and dental implants are a perfect solution.

What Are Teeth Implants?

Implants are titanium posts that are surgically fixed on the gums and act as roots for the artificial teeth. These implants fuse to the bone to create a seamless look. The titanium screws are better than bridges because they help to maintain your natural bone.

What Are Your Options?

Dental implants are available in different options, such as:

• Endosteal implants. They are the conventional implants commonly used to replace one or two missing teeth. They are made of a titanium screw, abutment or connector, and artificial teeth. Endosteal implants are fixed on the jawbone.
• Subperiosteal implants. They are similar to the endosteal ones but are fixed below the gums, but above the jawbone. These implants are ideal if you do not have sufficient bone density.
• Mini dental implants are smaller in size and are ideal for the front teeth.
• All-in-four-implants are used when you have multiple missing teeth. The implants are fixed two on both the upper or lower jaw to anchor the dentures.

Are The Implants Ideal for Everyone?

No. Although most people can benefit from implants, a few factors May disqualify you. For starters, you need to have sufficient bone density to support the implants. Bone loss is a side effect of having missing teeth, but our Bloomfield dentist can recommend a bone augmentation to stimulate bone growth.

A bone augmentation is a procedure that uses bone granules from your body or cadaver to promote new growth. It can take 12 months for new bone to form and be ready for a dental implant procedure.

Your teeth and gums also need to be healthy free of dental cavities.

How Are the Implants Fixed?

Fixing dental implants in Broomfield is done in a few steps and requires at least three dental visits.

• First appointment

On your initial dental visit, our dentist will perform a comprehensive examination and cleaning. Next, we will fix the implants on the jaw, depending on your dental condition. The implant can take a few months to fuse to the bone (if a bone graft is not done).

The osseointegration (fusing of the bone and implants) process must be successful for the artificial teeth to be fixed.

Teeth implant surgery is done under local anesthesia. But, if you have severe dental phobia, dental sedation may be used to relax you.

• Second dental appointment

After the implants and bone fuse, the dentist will fix the connector. Sometimes, though, the abutment is fixed on the same day as the dental implants.

The dentist may recommend a temporary dental crown to protect the teeth.

• Third appointment

The dental crowns can either be screwed or cement in place. A follow-up dental visit is scheduled to examine how well the gums are tolerating the implants.

Are There Complications?

The dental implant surgery has a high success rate. However, some factors can cause dental implants to fail like:

• Nerve damage and bruising
• Rejection of dental implants because the bone and teeth do not fuse properly.
• Gum infection
• Improper fixing of the dental crowns

These dental complications can be addressed easily by our dentist, so do not hesitate to contact us if you notice any abnormal pain and gum infection.

Dental implants can last for decades if taken care of properly. Fortunately, there are no special dental instructions other than maintaining proper dental hygiene. Do not forget to come for your routine dental examination and cleaning to keep the teeth healthy and decay-free. You also need to be 16 years and above for the procedure to be done.

Visit Fox Creek Dental in Broomfield for more information on dental implants and how they can benefit you.