Restore Your Smile with the Help of Dental Implant

Losing your teeth, be it through natural aging, decay or an accident is often an upsetting experience, and the thought of wearing dentures can be too. The solution to restoring your smile is dental implants.What are Dental Implants? A dental implant is some type of "root" device, often made of titanium, and used by dentists to create restorations that appear very similar to a tooth or a group of teeth to replace any missing ones. Once the metal posts or “fences” are in place, they allow the dentist to place replacement teeth onto them. How do Dental Implants Work?The dental implants surgically fuse to your jawbone so that they can provide permanent and stable support for artificially crafted teeth. Any dentures or bridges fixed onto the implants will not move or shift in your mouth. This is very important to most people as it means they can eat and speak normally without worrying about the implants. As the bridges, dentures or individual implants are fitted in so securely, the wearer will feel much more natural than is the case with standard dentures and bridges.Dental Implant SurgeryPrior to any surgery, the dentist will explain what will happen during the procedure. Dental implant surgery is normally carried out under local anesthesia which will completely numb the area being worked on but the patient remains completely awake. Once the anesthetic has been administered and has taken effect, the dentist makes a cut in the gum and drills a small hole – the implant will be placed in this hole. The implant rod will place in the hole and one of two things will happen depending on the procedure chosen.In the single stage treatment both the rod and the abutment will be fitted at the same time. In the two stage treatment, the rod will be covered by the gum and allowed to heal over a few weeks or months before the abutment is fitted.After the abutment is on, the artificial teeth are placed on the dental implants. They will either be permanent or removable depending on what has been agreed with the dentist.After Dental Implant SurgeryAfter the surgery the local anesthetic will slowly wear off. It is necessary to eat only soft foods on the day of the surgery and not to brush directly onto the implants. If there is residual pain, mild painkillers such as ibuprofen or paracetamol can be used to control it. Antibiotics may be prescribed by the dentist to reduce the risk of any infection. After the implants have fully healed and the patient has recovered fully, the dental implants and new teeth should work just the same as natural teeth when eating and talking and, of course, smiling. If at any point in the future the implant is damaged, it can usually be removed and replaced quite easily. If for any reason that is too difficult, it can safely be left in the gum and a second one implanted beside it.