What is a dental implant?
A dental implant is actually an artificial root and stump, made of titanium, which is used as a support for a crown that can be used to replace as few as one missing tooth many missing teeth. Thus, implants are a man-made replacement for natural teeth which allows the person to return to fixed teeth. It is not a transplant, which is taken from another person or animal. Prior to having the implant placed, you may require a special x-ray to evaluate the amount of bone available into which to place the implant. Study casts of your upper and lower jaws are also taken to help plan your treatment. The teeth that attach to the implant can be either removable (removed by you, the patient), or fixed (non-removable), depending on your preference and the number of implants needed.
The dental implants used by Dr. Kraut are small titanium cylinders that serve as the replacement for the root portion of a missing tooth. After Dr. Kraut places the implant in the bone of the jaw, the patient’s body generates bone to replace the bone that was lost when the original tooth was lost and when the hole was made for the implant. The new bone grows around, and bonds with, the implant. This process (called implant integration) takes place over a period of several months. After the implant has bonded with the bone, it serves as a stable anchor for replacement teeth. Dental implants may be used to replace a single lost tooth or many missing teeth. Implant supported replacement teeth look and function like natural teeth.
Dental implants are substitutes for natural tooth roots. They rely on bone for support. Implants give replacement teeth a more stable base and improve the use patients can get out of their dentures and bridgework. Dental implants have been around in various forms for centuries. Only in the past thirty years, however, have they come to provide reliable replacements for natural teeth. They are made of light titanium metal. Some are coated with a bone like substance called hydroxyapatite. They are usually 3-6mm in diameter and 8-20mm in length. Titanium is a bioactive metal which, when undisturbed, is able to trick the body into believing that it is a tooth. The body therefore bonds directly to the implant surface with a bond that is stronger than to natural teeth.
