What Are Dental Implants?
If you have had to have teeth pulled as an adult, you are going to end up with gaps in your smile. You may not like that, especially if they are in a place where they are very obvious. Your dentist may suggest that you get dental implants to take care of those gaps in your smile. But, you may not know what dental implants are, and it can be worrisome to use some kind of medical treatment without completely understanding what you are getting into.
Dental Implants
So, what is a dental implant? A dental implant is a multi-part item. The first part is a titanium post that gets inserted in the tooth socket. That post acts in the same way that the root of your tooth would. The root of your tooth anchors the rest of your tooth to the jaw and helps to make sure that your jawbone stays in good shape and isn't resorbed into your body.
The titanium post will anchor whatever you and your dentist decide that you should have, and it will also help to keep your jawbone in good shape. You might not realize it, but as you put pressure on your teeth, that pressure transfers to your jawbone and keeps it healthy.
The next part of the dental implant is the visible part. If the area is more than one or two gaps next to each other, your doctor may suggest that you put a bridge or partial bridge there and use the posts to anchor it. If you only have one or two missing teeth, then your dentist may suggest that you just get a tooth to put there.
Implant Process
Just as the implant is more than one part, getting it is more than one part as well. First, you are going to have the tooth or teeth pulled. Once that is done, you are going to have to wait for the area to heal up some. After it has healed, the dentist can implant the post. That will take some time to heal since it has to meld into the bone of your jaw. When that has healed and the bone is solid, it's time to get the visible portion. It will take a few months for everything to happen, but once it does, you won't have any gaps in your smile and you will have a usable tooth again.
If you need to have teeth pulled, getting a dental implant can be a good idea. For more information, visit a website such as http://www.aaronbirchdds.com/.
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