What Exactly Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are a technology that has significantly improved the lives of many people who've suffered from the loss of anywhere from one tooth to all of their teeth. Before you undergo what is, in fact, one of the more involved procedures in all of dentistry, you'd probably like to know exactly what's going to be placed in your mouth. Let's address some of the more common concerns about what exactly dental implants are.

What is the State of Dental Implant Technology?

Some version of replacement teeth have been used since ancient times, but modern ones are distinguished by significant improvements in the materials used to anchor the new tooth and to create the outer, visible portion of it. The first recognizably modern types were introduced in the early 1900s and featured a combination of iridio-platinum that was soldered to high-quality gold to produce what was essentially an artificial root. In the 1930s, these were superseded by models that used a material called Vitallium and featured a screw that anchored the replacement tooth.

By the 1970s, titanium would become the preferred choice for mounting dental implants. Modern techniques have added porousness to the mount to encourage bone growth around the screw mount, ultimately providing a much stronger anchor. These types of implants, if they take, can bond within half a year and stay in place for decades.

The replacement tooth itself is made largely of materials similar to the ones used to create crowns and veneers. An abutment goes on top of the screw to give the new tooth something to sit on besides metal. What is fundamentally a crown, usually made of a ceramic material, will then go on top of the abutment to provide a complete replacement of a missing tooth.

How Does the Screw Go In?

Existing bone left behind that anchored natural teeth is the preferred mounting point for dental implants. This bone tends to atrophy after an extraction, and for that reason, dentists tend to want to have implant procedures scheduled as soon as possible. The practitioner will drill into the bone to clear a space for the screw mount. If necessary, this may include working down into the jaw bone.

What Are the Costs?

Replacement of a single tooth usually goes between $1,000 and $3,000. Gaps of several teeth can be fixed with implant bridges or arches that are frequently cheaper per missing tooth. Visit a site like http://premierdentalgrp.com/ for more help.