Dental implants come in handy when you need some of your teeth restored. If you had an accident or are missing some teeth, then chances are the dentist will recommend getting these dental implants. To help you settle on what will be right for you, here are a couple of options to choose from.
The most common dental implants are endosteal implants. They work for most missing teeth and have the most natural feel and look. Even though they can be used with most patients who need implants, you need to have a wider jaw bone, and it should be worn down by diseases or trauma. Your prosthodontist will have to carry out a thorough examination of your jaw and gums before they can proceed with this implant. The healing takes a couple of months, so you have to be patient with the procedure for it to work.
First, the prosthodontist will drill a titanium screw into your jaws, and this will act as the root of the tooth. The area around the titanium will be swollen for a couple of months, but it will go down as you heal. After that, the remaining tooth is crafted and attached to the titanium root. After the procedure, it will be impossible to feel the difference between the implants and your natural teeth.
If you are looking for a fast installation implant or one that is not so invasive, this might be the implant for you. Nothing will be drilled into your jaw bone with the subperiosteal implant. When this procedure was introduced, it was primarily used to hold down dentures to stay on for longer. Over time, its use in dentures has decreased, although some doctors still use it to attach implants. Patients with thinner or weaker jawbones often will have this type of implant because it is not invasive. The process has two simple steps, and you can go ahead and use your implant as normal.
The first step is attaching the metal frame to your gums with a metal pole attached to it. The gum will need to heal around the frame to attach firmly. Once that is done, the false teeth will then be attached to areas on top of the left bits exposed solely for this purpose. With this implant, little post-op recovery time will be needed since the trauma to your gums is not that intense.
Even though the implants listed above are the most commonly used, another rare type of implant is available in case you need new teeth. The only thing you need to remember with this type of implant is that not every doctor is conversant. The teeth will not be placed on your jaw bone or gums with this implant. They will, instead, be in your cheekbone. The procedure is longer than the endosteal implants since there is much more skill and technique that will go into it. The healing process for this procedure is not as easy either, so you need to be patient with it.
If you plan on getting the zygomatic implants, you need to take your time and research the procedure. Look at the possible effects should it go wrong. Since there are not so many prosthodontists that do the procedure, it goes without saying that the procedure is quite costly. You might often be advised to try out the other procedures before settling for this one.
The three implants above are the common ones used in dentistry. Different doctors will use different methods to get the work done. Before you go in for the first step of the procedure, sit down with the prosthodontist. Talk with them about the process and what you should expect. It might seem scary at first, but it will go a long way to help calm your nerves and help you be prepared for the procedure. Once you go in for the first step, you need to exercise patience. Getting dental implants in does not happen in a day. It takes months of procedures and healing times in-between, so you can have your teeth restored.
