If you are missing teeth and wish to eat your favourite foods, increase your chewing ability and improve your appearance and speech, then you are a candidate for dental implants. A dental implant replaces the root of a missing tooth. Initially, the specialist places the implant into the jawbone. After a period of 3-6 months, depending upon certain factors, the specialist taps a post or abutment into the implant. The post projects through the gum and provides the support for a porcelain crown or removable denture.
In the past, specialists would replace missing teeth with crowns, fixed bridges or dentures. Bridges require healthy teeth to be cut down and conventional dentures can often be unstable. Specialists can replace one tooth or multiple teeth with dental implants.
Denture wearers
Dental implants can offer great support for dentures too. Treatment involves no laboratory costs and provides a secure base onto which your dentures fix to prevent any slipping or movement. In most cases, the surgery takes less than an hour and you may return to work or home the same day with minimal pain or discomfort.