|
Despite improvements in dental care, millions of Americans suffer tooth loss--mostly
from tooth decay, gum disease, or injury. For many years, the only
treatment options available for people with missing teeth were bridges and
dentures. But today, dental implants are available.
Why should I care if I have missing teeth?
Missing teeth, a condition known as edentulism, can have a negative impact
on your quality of life:
- Missing teeth may limit your food choices. Avoiding healthy foods
that are difficult to chew—such as fruits and raw vegetables—can
affect your nutrition and overall health.
- Missing teeth affect your self-esteem. As a result, you may feel
less confident in social and professional situations, as well as in
personal relationships.
- When one or more teeth are missing, the rest of your teeth are
forced to do "double duty." This can lead to further tooth
loss. Missing teeth also cause the remaining teeth to
"drift," resulting in a mouthful of crooked teeth that
affect both appearance and bite.
- Missing teeth also cause the bone beneath them to deteriorate.
Missing teeth and the resulting bone loss cause the face to collapse
and sink inward and the muscles of the face to shift, causing deep
wrinkles.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are replacement tooth roots. Implants provide a strong
foundation for fixed (permanent) or removable replacement teeth that are made to
match your natural teeth.
What are the advantages of dental implants?
There are many advantages to dental implants, including:
- Improved appearance: Dental implants look and feel like your
own teeth. And because they are designed to fuse with bone, they
become permanent.
- Improved speech: With poor-fitting dentures, the teeth can
slip within the mouth, causing you to mumble or slur your words. Dental
implants allow you to speak without the worry that your teeth might
slip.
- Improved comfort: Because they become part of you, implants
eliminate the discomfort of removable dentures.
- Easier eating: Sliding dentures can make chewing difficult.
Dental implants function like your own teeth, allowing you to eat your
favorite foods with confidence and without pain.
- Improved self-esteem: Dental implants can give you back your
smile, and help you feel better about yourself.
- Improved oral health: Dental implants don't require reducing
other teeth, as a tooth-supported bridge does. Because nearby teeth
are not altered to support the implant, more of your own teeth are
left intact, improving your long-term oral health. Individual implants
also allow easier access between teeth, improving oral hygiene.
- Durability: Implants are very durable and will last many
years. They require the same care as real teeth, including brushing,
flossing, and regular dental check-ups. With good care, many implants
last a lifetime.
- Convenience: Removable dentures are just that; removable.
Dental implants eliminate the embarrassing inconvenience of removing
your dentures, as well as the need for messy adhesives to keep your
dentures in place.
Infection is uncommon with dental implant surgery.
How successful are dental implants?
Success rates vary, depending on where in the jaw the implants are placed. In general, dental implants have a success rate of up to 97%. With proper
care, implants can last a lifetime.
Can anyone get dental implants?
There are no relative health contraindications to dental implants. Patients
should have healthy gums and enough bone to hold the implant. They also must be
committed to good oral hygiene and regular dental visits. In most cases, anyone
healthy enough to undergo a routine dental extraction or oral surgery can be
considered for an implant procedure. Heavy smokers, people suffering from
uncontrolled chronic disorders (such as diabetes or heart disease) or
patients who have had radiation therapy to the head-neck area need to be
evaluated on an individual basis. If you are considering implants, talk to your
dentist to see if they are right for you.
Does insurance cover the cost of dental implants?
In general, implants are not covered by dental insurance at this time.
Coverage under your medical plan may be possible, depending on the insurance
plan and/or cause of tooth loss. Detailed questions about your individual needs
and how they relate to insurance should be discussed with your dentist and your
insurance provider.
What is involved in getting a dental implant?
The first step is the development of an individualized
treatment plan. The plan addresses your specific needs and is prepared by a team
of professionals who are specially trained and experienced in oral surgery and
restorative dentistry. This team approach provides coordinated care based on the
implant option that is best for you.
Next, the tooth root implant, which is a small post made of titanium, is
placed into the bone socket of the missing tooth. As the jawbone heals, it grows
around the implanted metal post, anchoring it securely in the jaw. The healing
process can take from 6 to 12 weeks.
Once the implant has bonded to the jawbone, a small connector post -- called
an abutment -- is attached to the post to securely hold the new tooth. To make
your new tooth or teeth, your dentist makes impressions of your teeth, and
creates a model of your bite (which captures all of your teeth, their type, and
arrangement). Your new tooth or teeth are based on this model. A replacement
tooth, called a crown, is then attached to the abutment.
Instead of one or more individual crowns, some patients may have attachments
placed on the implant that retain and support a removable denture.
Your dentist also will match the color of your new teeth to your natural
teeth. Because the implant is secured within the jawbone, the replacement teeth
look, feel, and function just like your own natural teeth.
|
