Dental Implants Pain

Evolution of Tooth Implants

Dental implantology has made huge strides in just the past 20 years - but the concept is anything but new.

The idea of a tooth replacement anchored permanently into the jaw has been around since antiquity. Archeologists know the ancient Egyptians tried to implant precious stones into the jawbone where teeth were lost. Half a world away, Mayan ruins in Mexico turned up jawbones with tooth implants carved from seashells.

Tooth loss is one of humankind's most common afflictions - and permanent replacement one of dentistry's fondest dreams. If you have a missing tooth or teeth, you probably understand why.

Fast-forward now from the Third Dynasty to today's dental research labs. Three major research advances - all in the past 15 years - combined to make dental implants practical and workable in a wide range of patients.

Tooth implants substitute the rooting of 32 individual teeth with a few metal anchor posts onto which snaps either an overdenture or a fixed bridge. Investigators found that posts made of the metal titanium were strong, non-toxic over years in the mouth, and biologically compatible.

The next critical discovery was the concept of "osseointegration" - in which the healing jawbone actually grows into the dental implant post. This union is capable of sealing harmful bacteria out of the bone tissue.

Credit the computer revolution with the final critical breakthrough: Computerized Tomography (CT) can be used to develop a model of the jawbone's surface. This eliminates the need for preliminary surgery required to make impressions of the jawbone. For certain patients CT imaging can make tooth implant surgery a one-step procedure.

Teeth implants aren't for everybody. But research technicians have expanded its potential beyond the dreams of - well, certainly Ramses II.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

What To Expect in Dental Implant Cost from Your Implant Dentist

If dental implants are what you need to best replace your missing teeth, you should select a implant dentist with in-depth knowledge of and prior experience with all aspects of the treatment. It is important to know that dental implant treatment consists of two components: a surgical phase and a restorative phase.

Traditionally, a dental surgeon, like an oral surgeon or a periodontist, performs the surgical component. A general dentist, or prosthodontist and laboratory technician, performs the restorative component.

As implant dentistry has become more sophisticated, the restorative dentist, at times, also has become the one that places the dental implant. However, each clinician involved in implant treatment must be aware that the type of final restoration a patient wants dictates the position, size, and number of teeth implants within the jaws.

What Types of Dental Implant Restorations Are There?

For each unique missing tooth situation, there is an equally unique way to use implants to replace teeth. However, all of the treatments can be placed in two categories: removable or fixed prostheses.

Implant dentist use removable implant dentures when a patient is missing all of his or her teeth. Fewer dental implants are necessary when used in conjunction with a removable denture.

Conversely, more implants are necessary when used in conjunction with a fixed bridge. Fixed bridges feel most like your natural teeth and are usually more desirable than removable dentures.

Mastering new surgical and restorative techniques as they are developed is the mark of an excellent implant dentist as well as overall dental implant dentistry. A implant dentist's meticulous attention to fine detail conveys a feeling of confidence to the patient. The implant dentist should be committed to restoring full function to the missing teeth as well as recreating natural-looking teeth. These are the qualities a patient should look for in a implant dentist to place and restore their implants.

By Laura Minsk, DMD

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.