A Close Look at How Dental Implants Work

If you’re missing one or more of your teeth, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s estimated that 178 million adults in the United States are missing at least one of their teeth. 

So, if you’ve started to consider your options for tooth replacement, you may have heard of dental implants. Dental implants are one of the most popular choices for tooth replacement, with 3 million Americans choosing them every year over dentures and bridges, and that number continues to grow. 

If you’re still weighing your tooth replacement options, and you want to learn more about how dental implants work, we dive into that here. In this blog, Nasrin Sadeghi, DMD, and Medha Singh, BDS, DMD, MS, and the rest of our team at First Dental Associates take a closer look at what dental implants are and how they work as beneficial tooth replacements. 

Understanding dental implants

Dental implants work to replace any of your missing teeth. This is done by anchoring titanium posts to your jawbone; the posts act as your new tooth root. After these are placed, an artificial tooth — or a crown — is put on top of the posts. The titanium posts eventually fuse with your jawbone, making them a long-term solution to tooth loss.

To be considered a candidate for dental implants, you’ll need to meet the following qualifications:

• Have sufficient jawbone to which the implants can be attached
• Have healthy oral tissue
• Have one or more missing teeth
• Have a fully developed jawbone

You can also consider dental implants if you don’t want to get dentures or bridges.

How dental implants can benefit you

Dental implants are the most natural solution for tooth replacement, in both appearance and function. 

Your natural teeth stimulate your jawbone as you bite and chew, which keeps your jawbone tissue new and healthy. Other tooth replacement options like dentures can’t replicate this, and your jawbone starts to deteriorate over time. However, since dental implants fuse with your jawbone, they closely mimic how your natural teeth work, keeping your jawbone in good condition.

In addition, the crowns that attach to the titanium posts are made of porcelain or ceramic, and these materials have been used for centuries for natural looking tooth replacement. These materials are also durable, which means that they’ll feel and act just like your natural teeth. As you care for them, you’ll also have access to all your surrounding teeth, ensuring that your oral health won’t suffer.

How the dental implant process works

Since getting dental implants requires plenty of healthy jawbone tissue, our team takes X-rays before the surgery in order to make sure that you have sufficient jawbone. If you don’t, you’ll need a bone graft before getting dental implants to ensure you have enough jawbone to which to attach the implants.

After this process, you’re ready for the placement of the titanium posts. Our team administers general anesthesia before making an incision in your jawbone and surgically placing the posts. Healing from this procedure takes about 6-12 weeks.

When your jaw has completely healed from the post placement, you’ll receive your custom-made crowns. These will be put on top of the posts at your last appointment.

If you’d like more information to help you decide whether you’d be a good candidate for dental implants, contact our team to set up a consultation. To schedule an appointment at our office in Reading, Massachusetts, simply give us a call at 781-438-1312 or use our online booking tool today.