Our Saint Louis dental implant dentists field many questions from dental patients about state-of-the-art dental implants. We love to help people find the perfect restorative treatments for them, which is why we are devoting this blog entry to informing you about the intricacies of dental implants.
As you may already know, dental implants are used to replace missing teeth in a patient’s smile. An implant is an alternative to traditional replacement teeth like dentures and bridges.
A few things make a dental implant different than a denture a bridge. First of all, a dental implant is an individual tooth, while dentures have multiple replacement teeth in a row. Additionally, a dental implant has a root (which mimics the tooth root), while dentures and bridges sit on top of the gum tissue.
So why does a dental implant have a root?
1. A natural tooth has a root, and a dental implant is designed to mimic the structure of a natural tooth as much as possible.
2. The implant root actually holds the dental implant as a whole in place. This means you won’t need any dental adhesive, and you won’t need to bracket your replacement tooth to an adjacent real tooth.
3. Bone tissue tends to lose density and deteriorate after tooth loss. The implant root, which fills the space where the natural root used to be, supports bone tissue and minimizes the risk of this unwanted complication of tooth loss .
4. Thanks to the titanium tooth root, patients can eat, speak, and drink just like they have a full set of healthy teeth.
Many patients are surprised to learn that a simple small piece of titanium can make such a big difference to the health and appearance of a patient’s smile! If you want even more information about all of your tooth replacement options, our Saint Louis dental implant dentists are here to help you out.