As someone with one or more missing teeth, you may be wondering how natural dental implants will look. The thought of others noticing that your teeth are not original may worry you or make you feel self-conscious. Here are some details on how dental implants work and appear.
If you are new to the world of dental restoration, you may be completely in the dark about how dental implants are inserted into a patient's mouth. The process entails several steps that are outlined here.
Before a dental implant can be inserted, your dentist will need to evaluate the health of your other teeth, gums, and jawbone. Since the jawbone must be strong enough to hold the replacement tooth, some patients require bone grafting prior to the restoration. Bone grafting is a procedure that involves taking tissue from elsewhere in your own body or from a tissue bank to replace the weakened bone area.
In addition to proper jawbone density, your gums must also be healthy. If yours are not, you could require treatment before your dentist moves forward with the implant process.
When your mouth is healthy enough to begin the implant procedure, your dentist will insert the implant by cutting your gum to reveal your jawbone. Next, your oral health care professional will drill a hole into your bone and attach the implant to the jawbone. The metal post that acts as your tooth root is inserted deeply to prevent the permanent crown from moving.
If you prefer a temporary crown while your mouth heals, one can be placed.
After the implant post has been placed, you must wait several months for the bone to grow around it. Your dentist will determine when your mouth is ready for placement of the abutment.
Many patients require minor surgery to place the abutment to which their permanent crown will attach. This is done via an outpatient procedure that entails reopening the gum to affix the abutment to the metal implant post. Your dentist will then seal the gums and give you around two weeks to heal before proceeding to the next step in the process.
After your gums have had adequate time to heal, impressions of your mouth can be taken. These allow your oral health care professional to make the permanent crown resemble the surrounding teeth as closely as possible. This is the step that helps create the natural-looking implant desired by most dental patients.
The final step in the process of inserting dental implants is cementing the crown into place. This is accomplished either using dental cement or a screw. For front teeth, cement is often used because it is tooth-colored and can offer an untouched appearance. However, implant crowns placed with screws typically last longer than those secured with cement.
Though many dental patients worry whether their implants will appear realistic, the truth is that without replacing missing teeth, you will likely suffer from degeneration of your jawbone. Further, your facial muscles can be affected by the loss of a tooth and your cheeks could begin to appear withdrawn or sunken.
By getting an implant, you can help retain your facial structure. This coupled with a crown made from porcelain or ceramic can provide you with a dental implant that most other people will not notice. Additionally, your oral health care professional can match the crown to the shade of your original teeth in your mouth. Your dentist will likely hold cards with various hues next to your natural teeth to see which most closely fits.
How natural your dental implants look depends upon several factors. One of those is which type of material is used to form the crown; the other is whether cement or a screw is used to secure the crown. Lastly, a color-matching wheel of cards is used to help your dentist identify the proper tint to fit in with the rest of your teeth. While in some cases people may be able to tell that you have dental implants, in many cases they will not. If someone can tell, they will probably have had to take a scrutinizing look before noticing any difference between the implant and your natural teeth.
Request an appointment here: https://www.longgrovedental.com or call Long Grove Dental at (847) 636-5020 for an appointment in our Long Grove office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Dental Implants in Long Grove, IL.
Dental implants are one of the most popular forms of tooth restoration due to the range of benefits they can offer. By learning more about why so many are choosing dental implants to replace one or more missing teeth, patients can determine if they are the best option for them. Every patient has a different experience…
Dentists generally recommend dental implants as a natural choice for replacing missing teeth. If you play sports regularly, especially contact sports, you may be worried about continued participation after having your lost teeth replaced. This article covers what you need to know about playing sports with dental implants.Every sport has required skills, levels of fitness…
If you are missing at least one or more teeth, you may qualify as a candidate for dental implants. Dental implants are the best option for replacing missing teeth. Having missing teeth can harm your oral health, and untreated tooth loss can interrupt your chewing ability and even affect the structure of your mouth. If…
Dental implants are becoming a very popular choice for replacing missing teeth. Many patients ask about implants because they are known to look and feel the most like natural teeth. Any person could need to replace a missing tooth or teeth for a variety of reasons. You may not have kept up on your oral hygiene…
CEREC® crowns are a great dental restoration option that offers convenience, ease, and efficient results.
Pain is often the first indicator that you may require a visit to the emergency…
A traditional dental bridge can replace up to three or four consecutive teeth on the…
Minor flaws in your teeth might make you hide your smile. If so, dental veneers…
One of the primary concerns that often develops after a traumatic incident is the development…
An implant dentist can replace one or more missing teeth and thereby improve the appearance…
