A Brief, Easy To Understand Summary on Dental Implants

If you’ve lost one or more teeth, you may have heard that dental implants are a good option for tooth replacement.

But what exactly are dental implants? Below we take a look at what dental implants are and also look at some of the most common types of implants.

What Are Dental Implants?

Quite simply a dental implant is a replacement tooth root. When you lose a tooth, an implant can be embedded in your jawbone where the original tooth was located. This implant is usually made out of titanium or zirconium. The implant is placed in your jawbone through surgery performed by a cosmetic dentist.

After the implant is embedded in the jawbone and you have healed from the surgery, a replacement tooth (crown) or bridge is attached to the implant. This replacement tooth will look and function very much like a real tooth. And it is considered to be a permanent solution.

When it comes to implants there are two main types. Endosteal and Subperiosteal implants. Let’s look at each so you better understand the options and which may make more sense for your situation.

Endosteal Implants

These are the most common types of dental implants. Endosteal implants are implanted directly into the jawbone. They are typically in the form of a screw, plate or cylinder. After assessing your situation, you dentist will choose the best form type for you based on the quality of the bone in your jaw and the amount of bone there.

Once the surgery is performed to put the implant in and you have healed a post (or abutment) is attached to the endosteal implant. The last part of the procedure is when a replacement tooth is attached to the abutment.

Subperiosteal Implants

This type of implant is not actually embedded in the jawbone. Subperiosteal implants are placed under the gums but on top of the actual jawbone. They are commonly used in people who have shallow jawbones. Subperiosteal implants have posts or bars that rise up through the gums to which the replacement tooth/teeth are attached.

To learn more about dental implants, check out the other articles about then we have on our site. The most popular of which is about how much dental implants cost.