Your teeth play a very important part in your daily life. They not only help you to chew and eat your food, but also frame your face. Any missing tooth can have a major impact on your quality of life. It will also in all likelihood also affect your dental and oral health over the long-term in the following ways

• Affect your ability to chew

• Lead to loss of bone

• Make your look more aged

• Cause speech impairment

• Give rise to headaches and migraines

A dental implant is a gift of modern technology to everyone who has lost their teeth.

Dental implant, is essentially a prototype of a natural tooth root, made of the most biocompatible metal, titanium, which fuses to the jaw bone (osseointegration) over a period of time. A crown is placed over it to finish the procedure. If done well, it looks, feels and lasts like the real tooth it replaces. It offers a number of advantages over bridges and dentures, the other alternatives to tooth replacement.

• Conservative: To place a bridge, the teeth on either side have to be ground down and crowns placed. This is avoided with dental implants. Since your healthy teeth are left untouched, this has a significant long-term benefit for your oral health.

• Durability: Implants are very durable and last many more years than a bridge. With good care, many implants last a lifetime.

• Improved comfort: An implant act and feel like your own tooth. Unlike dentures, it won’t shift or come out. You will be able to speak and eat with confidence and comfort.

• Improved appearance: Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth. And because they are designed to fuse with bone, they are permanent.

• Improved speech: With poor-fitting dentures, the teeth can slip within the mouth causing you to mumble or slur your words. Dental implants allow you to speak without the worry that teeth might slip.

• Easier eating: Sliding dentures can make chewing difficult. Dental implants function like your own teeth, allowing you to eat your favourite foods with confidence and without pain.

• Improved self-esteem: Dental implants can give you back your smile and help you feel better about yourself.

What can an implant be used for?

Implants can be used for replacing a single missing tooth, multiple missing teeth or for replacing missing teeth on an entire jaw.

What can an implant be used for?

Implants can be used for replacing a single missing tooth, multiple missing teeth or for replacing missing teeth on an entire jaw.

What does the implant treatment entail?

Dental implant treatment normally flows in the following steps:

Step 1: The first visit will be usually for treatment planning. This will include a thorough assessment with panoramic and periapical X-rays, and study models for treatment planning.

Step 2: The surgical part of the treatment is carried out using local anaesthesia. After administering anaesthesia, your dentist exposes an area of your jawbone and prepares the bone for the implant.

Step 3: In the same visit, the screw-type titanium fixture (endosteal/root form implant) is set into the bone and the gums are then closed with stitches. It takes between 8-12 weeks for the bone to heal completely.

Step 4: Post healing, an implant crown is attached. A crown is fabricated matching the colour of the patient’s adjacent teeth. This is custom made to fit into the missing tooth space exactly, with a perfect bite.

With a dental implant, you should expect the new tooth to look, function and last like a natural tooth. Take care of it the same way you would as a natural tooth, with brushing, flossing, and regular checkups, to keep the tooth and the gum tissue around it healthy.

There really isn’t any excuse in today’s times for not choosing implants. They are safe, convenient and last long. So tooth replacement with dental implant should always be given the first priority, ahead of the other options such as conventional bridges and dentures.