Dental implants are considered to be the most scientifically modern and essentially natural way of replacing teeth that have been lost. Many people of all ages suffer from tooth loss. In younger folks, this lost tooth typically happens because of an accident, during sports, or some other activity. For older folks, tooth loss is a more gradual process as age and often, disease take their toll on the mouth, eventually costing the person their teeth. The challenge is that nobody should have to live with lost teeth, and with dental implants, nobody will. Losing your teeth may sound more innocuous than it actually is. When you lose your teeth, the very first thing you lose with them is your sense of self. Lost teeth make people more self-conscious and unwilling to smile as much. Then you discover how hard it is to eat all but the softest of foods without teeth. Sooner or later, your gums will harden and you can gum all kinds of food, but it is not quite the same. Finally, language enunciation and pronunciation depends on teeth. These are drastically affected by tooth loss as well. Dental implants are the solution to this kind of tooth loss; here is more information about them.
When you get a dental implant placed, you are getting a two-part system. The first part is what you see on top of the tooth. This is also called a dental crown. Dental crowns are often placed without a dental implant to replace damaged or broken enamel on natural teeth. This is because dental crowns look and feel like a natural tooth, so they blend in with your other teeth. Made of porcelain, they are extremely long-lasting, so you do not have to keep getting replacements. The dental crown is placed on the dental implant and attached to it using an abutment. The dental implants themselves are tiny cone-shaped objects screwed directly into your jawbone for maximum stability. The flat surface is where the abutment is used to attach the dental crown. With dental implants, once they are placed, you no longer have to worry about them falling out, having to clean them some special way, or using attachment devices to replace them. Just like your natural teeth, they are there to stay.
The most important thing about dental implants, other than their permanence, is the fact that you do not have to worry about taking them out or other hassles associated with dentures and bridges. Cleaning them is a breeze, too. All you have to do is clean your teeth and mouth the same way you would clean your natural teeth. Brushing twice per day, rinsing after meals, using mouthwash, and flossing are all ways to make sure the dental crown on the top of your dental implants looks great and that the gums are also kept healthy. Remember, the porcelain crown and the titanium dental implants cannot sustain diseases or decay, but the mouth around them can.
