What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants is the most modern method that prosthetic dentistry has to offer for replacing missing teeth. When you want to replace lost teeth, none of the alternative methods (dental bridges or dentures) will feel and look as close to your natural teeth as dental implants.

Dental implants are small dental devices that play the role of artificial tooth roots used for the replacement of missing natural teeth. They are surgically placed in the jawbone to replace the root part of the missing tooth and provide a solid base to support a dental restoration that will replace the missing tooth's crown.

A tooth restored with the use of a dental implant consists of 3 main parts:

• Implant Post / Fixture: An implant post or implant fixture is a titanium made, screw-like or cylindrical component of the implant that is surgically inserted and embedded into the bone of the lower or upper jaw. The implant post is a non visible part of the implant that holds the 'artificial' tooth in place and it can be considered as the equivalent of the root part of the natural tooth. The external surface of implant posts is usually threaded and sometimes coated with a biocompatible bone-regeneration material to help mechanical stability and osseointegration.
• Abutment : An abutment is the part that connects the implant post with the restoration and it is attached on the top of the post with a screw protruding over the gum line. The central part of the post is usually hollow and internally threaded where the abutment will be fixed. Different types of abutments can be used (both in shape or material) depending on the type of restoration that will be supported. In some types of implants (such as mini dental implants) the abutment is not a separate part but it is fixed with the implant post.
• Restoration : The restoration (that replaces the visible part of the tooth) is a crown, usually made of porcelain fused to a metal alloy, but also could be an all-metal or all-porcelain crown. The crown is attached (screwed or cemented) either to the abutment or directly to the implant. If the crown is screwed to the abutment, the screw hole is covered with restorative material such as tooth-colored filling material.

A dental implant is essentially a substitute for a natural root which is placed into the empty socket of an extracted tooth or in a socket carefully drilled at the precise location of the jaw. The implant is screwed into position (if it is a screw-threaded one) or otherwise tapped into place.

The main goal during implants placement is to achieve immediate close contact with the surrounding bone. This creates the necessary initial stability, which over time is steadily enhanced by further growth of bone around the implant (osseointegration). Dental implants are made of titanium because titanium has the ability to biologically bond to the bone. After the bone has grown around and secured the implant, implants provide the foundation for long-term support of a crown, bridge or overdenture just like roots hold natural teeth in place.

• As an artificial root for a single tooth replacement.
• As anchors for a fixed or removable prosthesis to replace multiple teeth.

Dental implants are the modern way restorative dentistry has to offer for replacing missing teeth. Almost 70% of adults has lost at least one permanent tooth up to the age of 45. A 25% of the population has lost all permanent teeth before 75 years of age. Most common causes of tooth loss are tooth decay, mouth injuries, gum disease and aging. Dentists recommend that a lost tooth should be replaced as soon as possible, otherwise the health of the adjacent teeth may be compromised. Other classic alternative methods for restoring lost teeth such as dental bridges and dentures have several disadvantages compared to dental implants.