What are Dental Implants?

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Dental implants are a popular, cost-effective, and long-term solution for people who suffer from missing teeth. Designed to last a lifetime, implants are a comfortable, durable, and full-functioning option. Dental implants can improve your overall oral health, and they are the next best thing to your healthy, natural teeth! Dental implants are considered a replacement tooth for a missing tooth.

What are Dental Implants?

Most dental implants are made of titanium. Back in the 50’s, Dr. Per-Ingvar Brånemark, an orthopedic surgeon, was studying bone healing and regeneration when he discovered that he couldn’t remove a titanium cylinder from the femur of a rabbit. This discovery proved that bone can grow around titanium and actually fuse to it. Before this time, other alternatives would generally get rejected by a person’s body. This discovery was monumental to the dental implant industry! By 1965, the first dental implant was placed in a volunteer. These titanium bases are placed into the jawbone to help support a false tooth that is attached to an abutment.

Dental implants look and feel like traditional teeth because they are anchored within the bone and will not become loose like dentures can. Dental implants are designed to be stronger than your actual natural teeth. Teeth are known to shift within time. Implants are designed to not move and remain in position. When your teeth start to shift, your face structure changes as well. You can start to form a “sunken” look around the jaw and cheek. That is why most people consider dental implants. The implant allows your jaw to maintain it’s original structure, and it helps prevent bone loss. When considering dental implants, you can come in for a free consultation so that you can see which option is best for you. While implants can be costly, they are the best option for long-term treatment. Dental implants typically end up being the most cost-effective treatment with time, as they are meant to last a lifetime. Unlike dentures and bridges, you never have to replace or get re-fitted for an implant.