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What are Dental Implants? |
Dental implants are a very important part of prosthetic dentistry – the area of dentistry that involves the replacement or restoration of teeth. Actually, dental implants are as much a part of cosmetic dentistry as they are a part of prosthetic dentistry.
The need to replace or restore teeth can arise due to a number of reasons. Tooth Decay, loss of tooth due to trauma, gum disease and unsuitability of a root canal treatment are some of the reasons that might result in the need of a dental implant.
Dental implants are meant to be a replacement for bridges and dentures, and are a permanent solution to tooth loss. A dental implant is an artificial tooth that is surgically fused into the jawbone. It connects the underlying bone structure with an artificial tooth. One of the most common and successful types of types of dental implant is the osseointegrated implant. Although implants are placed in to the jawbone usually in a single sitting, these implants need a period of around six months to become fully integrated into the jawbone.
With the use of dental implants, dentists have been able to replace artificial teeth in a seamless manner with the rest of the teeth. There is a very high degree s skill required on the part of the dentist who is carrying out the implant. The dentist has to skillfully drill a hole into the jaw, avoiding sensitive nerves and then screw the dental implant into the jawbone.
The success rate of dental implants is as high as 95% for lower jaw implants and 90% for upper jaw implants. Failure may be on account of reasons that result in a lack of integration of the implant with the bone part in the jaw – a process known as Osseointegration. |