Dental Implants

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants generally consist of titanium posts or screws which are inserted into your jawbone, and then an abutment is installed to connect the post to some kind of restoration. This will be in the form of a bridge, a denture, or a dental crown, and it will completely replace the missing tooth. The fact that the titanium post actually fuses completely with your jawbone allows it to literally become part of that jawbone, and to feel totally natural in your mouth.

What Are the Advantages of Dental Implants?

The advantages of dental implants make them highly desirable as solutions for missing teeth. For one thing, they help to maintain the natural shape of your face and to prevent any bone loss from your jaw. They will also prevent teeth near the missing one from shifting into that open area, and becoming crooked or tilted in doing so. The best thing about titanium implants is that they look, function, and feel just like your natural teeth would, so that you don’t even realize you have an implant installed.

How Successful Are Dental Implants?

The actual success rate of a dental implant surgery will depend on the specific area of your mouth where the implant is installed. However, generally speaking, the success rate of dental implants is somewhere in the neighborhood of 98%. With proper care, the implants themselves will last your entire lifetime, although it may be necessary at some point to replace the crown, which is subject to normal wear and tear.

Types of Dental Implants

There are actually two main types of dental implants, those being endosteal implants and subperiosteal implants. Endosteal implants are much more common, and your dentist will install them using a procedure carried out in two stages. Unlike the implanted titanium screw or post which is installed in an endosteal implant, a subperiosteal model makes use of a metal framework. This is placed on top of the bone, beneath the gum, and the procedure is generally performed when there isn’t enough healthy jawbone to support the titanium screw.

Does Insurance Cover the Cost of Dental Implants?

Some insurance plans do cover at least a portion of your dental implants. However, it’s important to know exactly what type of implant your dentist is recommending, and you will also need to know how much your insurance carrier will cover before you go ahead with the procedure. You don’t want to go ahead with a full data implant process, and then find out afterward that you’ll be obliged to pay for the entire thing out of pocket.

What Is Involved in Getting a Dental Implant?

First there will be an initial evaluation so as to determine the health of your jawbone, as well as the best implant procedure to perform. If any part of the missing tooth still needs to be extracted, that will be addressed next. This will usually be done during the same session as the surgery for the implant. You will have some form of anesthesia, so that you won’t feel any pain or discomfort during the process. Then a period of several months must pass, so the titanium insert can have time to fuse with your jawbone, and actually become part of it. After this has been completed, the abutment will be put in place, and this is used to connect the implant to the dental crown, which replaces your missing tooth. When your gums have healed, the permanent crown will be installed, and any necessary modifications will be performed, so it becomes a good fit for your mouth.

Recovery, Follow-up & Aftercare

Once your new dental crown has been installed, it may feel awkward for a few days, but soon thereafter it will begin feeling like a very natural part of your mouth. All you’ll have to do to care for it properly, is to undertake normal brushing and flossing, because the crown must be kept clean to prevent it from wearing out prematurely.

Contact Us

If you’re interested in having dental implants installed, contact us at Ammons Dental by Design. We’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have, as well as arranging for that important initial consultation so you can take the first big step toward a new smile.