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Dental implants are an incredible tooth replacement treatment that use long-lasting titanium fixtures to replace one or more missing teeth. In this article, you’ll learn exactly what dental implants are and how they work.
If you would like to learn more about the treatment, you are always welcome to contact our Laval practice. We look forward to helping you!
What Are Dental Implants Made Of?
Implants have evolved quite a bit since they were first introduced as a dental treatment. The most modern dental implants come in three pieces:
1. The Implant Fixture
This is a thin metal post that is fitted within or atop the jawbone, depending on the type of dental implant. Made of a titanium alloy, what makes the implant fixture remarkable is that it’s biocompatible, allowing bone tissue to grow around and permanently anchor it in place through a process called osseointegration. This gives the dental crown the robust support it needs to replicate many of the same functions your natural teeth perform.
2. The Abutment
To connect the crown to the fixture, the implant needs a small extension attached to it which is often made of the same titanium material or sometimes of ceramic. What’s neat about the abutment is that it can be adjusted so that the crown blends in seamlessly with your smile.
3. The Crown
This is the final piece of the implant. The crown is the dental prosthetic or the actual replacement tooth. They are typically made of ceramic, such as porcelain.
Depending on the color, size, and shape of your adjacent teeth, we will make the crown to fit these characteristics as well as possible. When the treatment is finished, your friends and family will hardly know you’re wearing dental implants!
While most implants are made up of these common pieces, there are other subtle differences between different types of implant treatments. Let’s look at these in further detail.
What Kind of Dental Problems Can Dental Implants Solve?
Tooth implants are a very versatile treatment, making them the new standard of care within the dental community. An implant can replace one or several teeth, depending on your needs.
They can also be combined with other treatments, such as with bridges and dentures. By using a bridge, for example, a single implant can often replace several missing teeth, depending on their location and the underlying strength of the jawbone.
Patients who suffer from extensive tooth decay or damage can benefit from implant-supported dentures.
By themselves, bridges and dentures can often lead to bone loss and other oral health problems. When combined with implants, many of these issues are resolved because the implant fixture acts much like a tooth root, accomplishing many of the same health benefits.
Finally, depending on the details unique to your case, one of two types of dental implants may be used:
- Endosteal: This is the most common procedure and it involves surgically placing the implant fixture within the jawbone.
- Subperiosteal: If you’ve suffered from bone loss, sometimes the implant will instead protrude slightly above the gumline.
Which type if the right one for you depends on various factors. We recommend that you schedule a consultation with Dr. Carré, who will be able to give you give a much more accurate idea of the options available to you. Please do not hesitate to reach us at 450-231-2415. We are always here for you.
How Do Dental Implants Work?
It used to be that tooth replacements could not replicate jawbone regeneration. Missing teeth eventually lead to loss of jawbone density and other problems.
Thanks to dental implants, we can now replace the root along with the tooth and therefore replicate many of the same health functions.
One of the integral reasons why dental implants are so comprehensive in how they replace missing teeth is because the fixture is biocompatible.
After the fixture is placed, there will be a rest and recovery period during which the implant site will heal. It’s during this healing process that something called osseointegration takes place.
Osseointegration is an amazing natural process during which the jaw heals and regenerates worn tissue. This regeneration happens all the time and is, in fact, happening right now!
Every time you eat or chew gum, or even laugh and speak, your teeth are transmitting energy and force through the roots to your jaw. When small tears are created through activity, the tissues are forced to regenerate. Dental implants take advantage of this biological process because the fixture is made of a titanium alloy that the body accepts as natural, meaning that your jaw will gradually grow around it and accept it as a legitimate tooth root.
Dental implants take advantage of this biological process because the titanium alloy used in the implant is accepted by the body as natural. Meaning that your jaw will gradually grow around it and accept it as a legitimate tooth root.
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