How Do Dental Implants Work?
Do you have a chipped, cracked, loose, or missing tooth?
Are you considering dental implants as a replacement but need to figure out how they work?
This blog covers all the details necessary to take things to the next stage of scheduling a visit.
What is a dental implant?
A dental implant is a three-part structure that replaces a missing tooth.
An implant is screwed into the jawbone, which acts like the root, to anchor the artificial tooth, called a crown.
A device called an abutment connects the artificial tooth, or crown, to the dental implant.
The crown is custom-made to fit your mouth and match the color of your teeth.
Crowns are designed to look, feel, and function like natural teeth.
What is the structure of a dental implant?
- The Screw
- The Abutment
- The Crown
We often refer to the screw part of the implant as the post.
We screw the post into the jawbone.
The abutment is connected to the screw and holds the crown in place.
Dental implant vs. a traditional crown
A traditional crown is like a hat that sits on top and bonds to your original tooth.
However, with a dental implant, we remove the original tooth, including the root, and the implant is put in its place.
What are the advantages of dental implants?
Implants have several advantages over other dental treatments, such as dentures, which are removable artificial teeth.
Implants …
- … feel more natural and comfortable.
- … have a higher success rate.
- … improve your chewing function.
- … lead to a lower risk of cavities developing in nearby teeth.
- … lead to better maintenance of bone at the site of the lost tooth.
One of the significant benefits of dental implants, when compared to dentures, is that they don’t need to be taken out and cleaned every night.
What is the process of a dental implant?
1. Evaluation
Your situation will be evaluated with a comprehensive examination. From this, we will discuss the best course of action with you.
2. Extraction
If you still have a remaining tooth that needs replacing, we will remove it before inserting the screw. These can be done at the same time.
3. Fitting
You must have suitable bone characteristics for this to work, and we will understand this during the initial examination. Once we know your bone structure, we can begin drilling and screwing the post in place.
4. Connecting
When your implant is stable enough, we will connect an abutment to the implant. This piece connects the implant to your crown.
This needs to be tightened so it stays in place when you eat.
5. Adding the crown
After your gums have healed, we can fit your permanent crown, which will have been color matched during your initial discussion.
So, if you are looking for the perfect place for your dental implant, look no further than Dental Health Care of Woburn, MA.
Or contact us by:
- Phone: 781-935-8810
- Email: reception@dentalhealthcareofwoburn.com
Dental Health Care of Woburn is located in Woburn, MA, and is proud to help patients from Woburn, Winchester, Burlington, Stoneham, Reading, Tewksbury, Wilmington, Lexington, Wakefield, and surrounding communities.
