Sunday, December 4, 2016

Ask the Dentist: What Are Dental Implants and How Do They Work?



The Newsy Neighbour Magazine
December Issue #110
By Langdon Dental


What are Dental Implants and how do they work?

How’s your dental vocabulary? Did you know that dental implants are basically artificial teeth roots? They replace a natural tooth’s roots to support artificial replacement teeth.

Implants - the basics:

Implants are titanium screws that are inserted into the bone tissue of your jaw. This is where tooth roots would normally anchor a tooth. Roots that are broken or diseased can be replace by these screws. Titanium has many biomedical applications because human tissue will bond to it, and it’s chemically inert — which means it doesn’t rust or break down. Titanium is very light but also very strong. Bridges or crowns can be attached to the titanium implants after the bone tissue has grown fully and anchored the implants.

Implants for anyone:

Almost anyone can have implants inserted. Teens, adults, and older Canadians are all good candidates for implants, and there’s a variety of reasons that someone may need one. A younger person might have an accident or injury to one or a few teeth. An older person may have lost some teeth to decay or malnutrition as a child. Usually implants are used for tooth gaps where only one or a few teeth are missing. Some patients who are considering removable dentures actually end up choosing a full set of implanted dentures. This is because removable dentures present a number of challenges, and although implanted dentures are more expensive, they function extremely well, and allow Albertans to chew raw vegetables, hard fruit, or steak just like natural teeth.

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