Unfortunately our teeth don’t last forever, as much as we would like them to! It is likely that at some point in your life you will experience the loss of one or more of your teeth, leaving you with a decision as to what treatment you will need to conceal that gap. You may have heard many options thrown around such as dentures, crowns or even dental implants! It can be so easy to become confused by all of the different dental terms and procedures available so I’m now going to explain exactly what dental implants are and the information that you need to know. Hopefully that will help you to make an informed choice.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are essential replacement teeth created from a synthetic material. They are designed to look exactly like your natural teeth so that people looking at your beaming smile should not be able to tell the difference, unless you decide to give away your secret of course.
Unlike dentures or crowns that will feel different compared with your old teeth, implants will actually feel how they should. That means that you won’t have any problem biting into apples or eating toffees. Just like normal teeth you’ll still have to get the toothbrush out to give them a cleaning every day so that they will last as long as is possible.
There are two different types of dental implant that are used today, forgive the long words but these are known as Endosteal and Subperiosteal. Let’s define these types of implant now so that you know what you will be faced with:
- Endosteal implants are the most common type and involve placing a titanium base directly into your jawbone. This metal acts as the original root of your tooth would have done and one or more synthetic teeth can be attached to it securely.
- Subperiosteal implants are less common than the alternative. In this case instead of attaching the implants to your jawbone they are inserted into your gums.
Sounds painful! Do dental implants hurt?
Having dental implants is a surgical procedure and is therefore conducted using anaesthetic meaning you will not feel any pain during the fitting. Most dentists will prescribe some painkillers in case there is any irritation in the few days following your procedure, but many patients claim that their suffering was such a small amount that they did not need to resort to any pain relief.
Are dental implants for you?
While dental implants do cost more than the alternative treatments it is important to consider them as an investment. Due to the long life of your new synthetic teeth you should not need to have other dental work done. However, do seriously consider whether you can afford the procedure.
If you do have the funds to enjoy a shiny new set of teeth then I would seriously consider this option. Missing teeth are embarrassing, there’s no denying it, and what better way to replace them than with a synthetic lookalike that feels exactly the same as the original tooth?
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