What are dental implants?

1	What are dental implants?
2	What dental implants can do for you.
3	Some of the benefits of implants.



	(1) What are dental implants?
	A Dental implant is an artificial tooth root placed where the missing tooth used to be. They are made of solid, sterile titanium which is inserted into the jaw to replace the roots of natural teeth. On the top of these implants can be placed various crown or bridgework dependent on the case.

	(2) What dental implants can do for you
	Implants will replace missing teeth without affecting bordering teeth and can provide support for a bridge or denture. Implants will allow you to eat and speak with confidence.
		This patient presented with failed endodontic and crown treatment on the upper centrals.
		After the extraction of the roots and a suitable healing period two implants were placed in the upper central region.
		Two porcelain fused to gold crowns were cemented. The patient is extremely happy with the aesthetics and the overall treatment. The long-term prognosis of these implant retained crowns is excellent

(3) What are some of the benefits of dental implants?

If you are missing all of your teeth, an implant-supported full bridge or full denture can replace them. Dental implants will replace both your lost natural teeth and some of the roots.

Dental implants provide several advantages over other tooth replacement options. In addition to looking and functioning like a natural tooth, a dental implant replaces a single tooth without sacrificing the health of neighbouring teeth.

Because a dental implant will replace your tooth root, the bone is better preserved. With a bridge, some of the bone that previously surrounded the tooth begins to resorb (deteriorate).

Dental implants have the highest success rate of all dental procedures. Over a fifteen year period success rates of up to 98% have been achieved. This is far higher than conventional crown and bridge work where valuable tooth substance has to ground down . Nowadays the treatment of choice for patients who have full dentures is a implant retained denture