We all know that regular dental checkups and cleanings are important for our oral health. But what about when we need more extensive dental work? So are you considering dental implants? If so, you're in for a great experience but there are some things you should know before moving forward.
A dental implant is a small titanium post that is surgically placed into your jawbone where your tooth root would have been. An abutment and a replacement tooth are attached to make one unit. Implants can also change how you look by filling in empty spaces or covering facial irregularities while improving your smile.
There are different types of tooth implants and its cost:
You can chew on an implant right away. Of course, the dentist has to tell you not to chew gum for six weeks until your gums have healed from surgery and allowed any stitches to dissolve, but after that time is up and everything's all healed up? Go ahead and chomp down! Chewing is a natural part of life, so the implant must be in place before too much of this happens. While implants do require some jaw realignment, this process doesn't take long at all.
You can still brush and floss. Or at least you could if the implant was designed right. It's not a tooth, so you can't expect it to come out looking like one. The outer coating is biocompatible, meaning that it's safe for your body and also that it looks more like enamel than your actual teeth do. There are some places where an implant might break during brushing or flossing because this isn't necessarily real "tooth" material, but living tissue nonetheless; these places will heal back up quickly, usually within two weeks.
You can eat whatever you want. Okay, maybe not everything, but it's time to put away those fears of what you can and cannot eat. The implant is completely functional, so there's no need to alter your diet any more than it already has been by losing your teeth in the first place. Of course, certain foods might be dangerous for an implant because these could technically get stuck, but again—it's a complete function; they won't come loose or fall apart if you brush them off or spit them out.
They're really expensive, but only at first and if you get them implanted during surgery, there's no additional cost. The dental implant itself isn't free; the process of implanting it is also not free, and neither is the false tooth that goes on top. However, after all of this is taken care of? It's like real teeth! They're permanent, so dentists expect that they'll last around 25 years. This makes up for their high cost plus, since they fall out less often than natural teeth would anyways, investing in implants will save you money in the long run when compared with visiting a dentist several times a year over many decades
Your other teeth are safe! Implants do not replace everything in your mouth that's healthy, just the teeth that cannot function. Your natural teeth will stay where they are because they can't move on their own; if you want to fix them, you'll have to explore other options. The same goes for wisdom teeth, although this is becoming less and less common as dentists realise how much people dislike having them removed. As long as your other teeth are healthy, they won't fall out during surgery or anything like this and neither will any of your gums.
Once your implants are in place, they act like real teeth. You can eat whatever you want without risking their safety, and no additional procedures are required to keep your other teeth in place. They are expensive but worth the investment for how well they function and if you get them during surgery, there's no additional cost.
