|
Modern dentistry continues to develop, in times gone by the only option when a tooth was lost was to replace it with a bridge. This process involves cutting the neighbouring teeth down to become posts to attach a false tooth to. Bridges can provide a satisfactory replacement for a lost tooth but need replacement over time and can never really provide the same cosmetic look as a real tooth. All of this has changed in recent years with the advent of affordable dental implants which can provide lifelong substitutes for lost teeth, restoring and improving your smile.
Almost all dental implants in use today are made from titanium or titanium alloy, materials that have been shown over many years to be well tolerated by bone.
There are many different implant systems available and when competently used they can all deliver a highly reliable form of treatment.
A dental implant is essentially a substitute for a natural tooth root and commonly it is screw or cylinder shaped. Each implant is placed into a socket carefully drilled at the precise location of the intended tooth. The main aim during installation of any implant is to achieve immediate close contact with the surrounding bone. This creates an initial stability, which over time is steadily enhanced by further growth of bone into microscopic roughnesses on the implant surface.
In order to support replacement teeth, dental implants normally have some form of internal screw thread or post space that allows a variety of components to be fitted. Once fitted, these components provide the foundation for long-term support of a crown (custom designed false tooth).
|
