What are dental implants?
A dental implant is a structure that replaces a missing tooth. With screw-like devices, the surgeon inserts an implant into the jawbone, and it acts as an anchor for an artificial tooth, called a crown. A device called an abutment connects the artificial tooth to the dental implant. The crown is custom-made to fit the person’s mouth and match the color of their teeth. Crowns look, feel, and function like natural teeth. Implants have several advantages over dentures, which are removable artificial teeth. Implants: are more natural and comfortable have a higher success rate improve chewing function lead to a lower risk of cavities developing in nearby teeth lead to better maintenance of bone at the site of the lost tooth cause decreased sensitivity in nearby teeth do not need to be taken out and cleaned every night However, dental implants are not suitable for everyone. The implanting devices must bond with the jawbone, so a person’s bones must be healthy b...