What You Need to Know About Dental Implants

Whether you are missing one tooth or multiple ones, you may be thinking about getting dental implants. Implants are popular due to multiple reasons, including their functionality. However, getting implants is not a quick and easy process. Before jumping in, you should research what it entails and know what to expect.

What to know about dental implants

Implants have numerous advantages over other replacement methods. They are, however, a bit more complex.

Not everyone is a good candidate

Before you get too excited about getting implants, you should have a consultation with your dentist to see if you are a good candidate for the procedure. Some characteristics of good candidates include:

• Good oral hygiene
• Healthy gums
• Individuals over the age of 18
• Strong jawbone density

Some things that may make for a bad candidate include heavy smoking, pregnancy, and drug abuse. Certain medical conditions may also affect candidacy. These include hemophilia, diabetes, cancer, immune deficiency, and osteoporosis.

The process is long

If you are expecting to walk into a dentist's office one day and walk out with dental implants, you are in for a surprise. The process takes months and sometimes more than a year.

The first step consists of inserting rods directly into the jawbone. These act as the roots of the teeth. Once this is completed, the gums need to heal, which generally takes four to seven months. Once the area has healed and the bone has sufficiently fused to the rods, the next step is the placement of healing caps.

Healing caps are placed flush with the gums at the end of the implants. Healing time after this step takes an average of 10 to 14 days.

Next, abutments are attached to the healing caps, and temporary crowns are placed on top. The abutments need around four to six weeks to heal. After the placement of the temporary crowns, a mold of the teeth is taken. Permanent crowns are fabricated in a lab based on this mold. After the healing process, the permanent crowns are attached.

If you need to have teeth extracted, or if you need a bone graft, these procedures will increase the total completion time.

They function and look like real teeth

Although it takes a while for the final completion, the results are beneficial. Because they are screwed into the jawbone, dental implants provide a strong and stable foundation for artificial teeth. This stabilization allows for normal chewing and speaking, and people with implants are not restricted as to what they can eat. The crowns are also made to match the natural teeth, so they look real as well.

They can last a lifetime

Dental implants do not require any special cleaning besides regular brushing, flossing, and professional cleanings. With proper care, implants usually last many years, if not a lifetime.