People are only given two chances with teeth; the first set or baby teeth which are expected to fall out and their permanent teeth which are expected to last for life, this is no longer the case. It was not all that many years ago that if you lost one or more of your permanent teeth you had two make a choice between a bridge and a denture, either full or partial.
Today things have changed; a dentist in Salisbury NC has a new alternative, dental implants. Although the procedure takes a few months to complete, once it is you have a new tooth or teeth which look and feel like natural teeth. Bridges and dentures result in a loss of jaw bone mass which tends to age the person prematurely, with implants this is not the case.
The implant is a small titanium “screw” that is placed directly into the jaw bone. After some time, perhaps a few months, the bone and the implant become as one. Once this happens and the implant is perfectly secure this can be thought of as the new tooth root and onto it a crown is placed. The result is a tooth which cannot be told from a natural tooth; the shape, size and color are perfect and perhaps the best thing, it is every bit as strong as a natural tooth.
Dental implants can be one or more stand alone teeth or they can act as anchors for a non-removable bridge or anchors for a set of full removable dentures. Regardless of the use, to be successful there must be sufficient jaw bone available for the titanium implant. The dentist in Salisbury NC will study the oral cavity and make this decision. If the dentist concludes that there is not enough bone a bone graft can be made.
The procedure is not all that complex; once the dentist has determined that an implant is an acceptable form of treatment the gum is opened and the jaw bone prepared for the implant. Once the implant has been anchored in place, the gum is stitched. After a few months the implant will have married with the bone and the crown can be placed on the implant. During the treatment period, a temporary tooth can be fitted as the implant heals. When the process is completed, the patient will have regained a healthy, attractive smile, a true third tooth.
