Copyright (c) 2010 Thomas Streko

The Lowdown on the Gold Standard in Tooth Replacement

By now, you've probably at least heard of dental implants and the amazing things they can do for your smile when it comes to replacing missing teeth. However, despite this, you still might not know exactly what dental implants are. Many people think implants are, in essence, replacements for missing teeth. And while this is mostly true, it's still not exactly true.

A dental implant is really only a replacement for the part of a missing tooth that isn't visible. It's actually an artificial tooth root. It looks nothing at all like a regular tooth. It's more like a metal screw, which probably doesn't, on its own, sound particularly appealing, or like a very good substitute for a tooth. You certainly wouldn't want to smile with a mouthful of metal screws for teeth!

But those metal screws are actually the foundation for something miraculous.

The metal used in dental implants is titanium - which is used for implants specifically because of its ability to "fool" your bone into thinking it's a natural part of your body. Once an implant is placed in your jawbone, it actually becomes a part of your jawbone through a process called osseointegration. The bone around the implant grows and eventually fuses with the titanium implant, and in the process, makes the implant a part of your jaw.

This is significant for two reasons. First and foremost, by fusing with your living jaw, an implant becomes a functional and structural part of your body, just like a natural tooth root. Secondly, by stimulating bone growth and stopping bone loss, implants preserve the natural shape of the jawbone and help you look younger for longer.

In other words, implants essentially serve the same function as a healthy natural tooth root.

Of course, what makes dental implants really special to patients is the part that goes on top of that root. The "tooth" part of the implant, while not technically part of the implant at all, is the part that can transform even the most unappealing smile into something you'd see on a Hollywood celebrity.

Whether they're topped with custom-made crowns (most often used to replace individual teeth) or traditional dentures (most often used to replace sections of several teeth), the visible part of implants are designed to look like your natural teeth, only better. The shape, color, length and width are all custom-created to suit the shape of your face and mouth. Because of this, implant patients don't just have healthier smiles - they have more beautiful smiles.

And because implants can't decay, with proper care, those smiles are designed to last a lifetime.