Whether you take care of your teeth exceptionally well or not, everyone is prone to losing teeth. For example, even if you have excellent oral hygiene, you could experience an oral infection by no fault of your own and be required to remove one or more teeth to stem the infection. Someone else with good oral hygiene could get in an accident and have teeth forcefully knocked out of their sockets. There are a few ways that dentists replace missing teeth. Here’s the rundown on what to expect when it comes to dental implants in the Palm Coast area.
According to a 2014 study about current trends in dental implants and published in the modern dental implants have shown to be roughly 98 percent successful. If you’re considering dental implants in Palm Coast or beyond, that’s a great track record to keep in mind.
Dental implants are replacement teeth that are anchored to the jaw using a single titanium rod per tooth being replaced. The exposed portion of these rods is fitted with an abutment, or an extension between the rods, or fixtures, and the prostheses, or fake-yet-realistic teeth, that are affixed to them.
The three aforementioned portions of dental implants aren’t all installed at once. Rather, dentists typically surgically implant the titanium fixtures into patients’ jaws. This process requires anywhere from two to six months worth of healing. Pain usually subsides after one to two weeks. From here, abutments and protheses are fitted to patients’ fixtures. This second stage is the much easier part.
There are a few common alternatives to implants such as dentures and dental bridges, or artificial teeth that are affixed to nearby teeth as an anchor. However, neither of these options are as long-lasting as dental implants.
