What are Dental Implants?

If you are someone suffering from broken or missing tooth, dental implants could be the right solution for your problem. With the use of dental implants, you do not have to worry about missing or broken tooth affecting your chewing ability or appearance.

A dental implant is a titanium alloy post that is designed to act as the root of your tooth. They are placed in the jawbone for effective support of fixed bridges, crowns or dentures. This firm support will allow you to eat and speak more easily and comfortably. Since titanium is light weighted and has the ability to bond with bone and create long lasting support, dental implants are made of this metal. They can easily replace your missing tooth and prevent bone disintegration.

What Are Dental Implants?

The implants themselves are small threaded titanium posts that are surgically placed into the jawbone where teeth are missing. These metal anchors act as tooth root substitutes and are specially treated on the surface to facilitate direct attachment to bone. As the implant heals, the bone bonds intimately with the titanium surface (a process called osseointegration), creating a strong foundation for artificial teeth.  A fully healed implant subsequently provides a strong, virtually indestructible base for artificial replacement teeth or anchors.  Implants also help preserve facial structure, preventing bone deterioration that occurs when teeth are missing.

Consequences of Not Replacing of Missing Teeth

If there are missing teeth and gaps within the arch, there are a number of potential future complications that could occur.  Generally, nature abhors a vacuum.  Therefore, if there is a tooth missing, your other teeth could migrate in an attempt to fill that gap.  The existing teeth on either side of the missing space would drift into the void.  This would not be a bodily movement, but rather a tipping movement.  The result would be teeth that are in a slanted position.  This presents problems in hygiene and keeping the area clean, leading to accelerated tooth loss.  The teeth in the opposing arch would also attempt to fill the missing space by over erupting.  Consequently, the tooth would lose stability due to less bone support at the roots.  Also, missing molars mean decreased chewing efficiency.  Without distribution of forces, the remaining teeth will be overworked to bear the load normally designated for the missing tooth.  This would again result in potential premature loss of teeth due to over usage.

With flexible appointments and a convenient location, our professional and caring dental team is the right choice for dental implants in Mclean, VA.  Call 703-356-7890 today for your next appointment!