A dental implant is a metal structure that is placed inside the dental root. It fuses with the bone structure and helps to support artificial tooth/teeth such as dentures, bridges, and crowns. A qualified dentist, with the training to offer dental implant procedures, can help you restore your teeth and smile.

Before you opt for dental implants, it can be helpful for you to have more information about the procedure.

Seeking the Treatment

It is important to choose qualified and experienced dentists for dental implant procedures. If you wish to find a dentist for your dental implants, conduct an online search to do your own research. Choose keywords such as Springfield dental implants (if Springfield is your location).

Check the websites of the dentists you find through such searches. Check if a dentist is board-certified or not. Board-certification is proof of a dentist’s training and credentials. Check if the dentists offer dental implant procedures and their experience in offering the same. Consider a dentist with at least a few years of experience under him or her for performing the procedure, if not more.

The treatment can be longer, depending on the number of implants. Your gums and bones will also require sufficient time to heal before crowns can be placed on the implants.

Requirements

If you have sufficient bone structure to support or hold the implants, you may be an ideal candidate for the procedure. Your dentist will examine your mouth to see if you can benefit from getting dental implants.

If your bone structure is not perfect for dental implants, you can still get the procedure done. But first, your dentist will need to work on the jawbone to make it suitable to support dental implants.

You will also require your gums in good health to get the implants. The level of your gum health can support or interfere with your dental implant procedure.

Your overall health must also be good to qualify to get the implants. Some conditions such as leukemia and diabetes, can interfere or slow your healing. Your dentist might not recommend the procedure if you suffer from one of these diseases.

Your dentist can only tell whether you qualify for the dental implant procedure or not after a thorough examination of your mouth. Be prepared to answer questions about your general health as well.

Benefits

Implants are solid structures. They support dental crowns very well. Your teeth won’t shift from their positions when screwed on with the help of dental implants. Implants prevent other neighboring teeth from shifting from their positions as well.

Implants don’t require additional support in the form of neighboring teeth. So, you won’t lose any teeth when getting implants.

Implants don’t require any special care. You won’t need to spend a lot of money on buying special toothpaste or waste a ton of your time in cleaning them.

Implants help to replace natural teeth perfectly. You won’t notice any difference when you compare them with your remaining natural teeth. You will be able to eat, drink, and speak without any problem.

Care

Dental implants don’t require any special care as such. You need to clean them as you clean your natural teeth. Normal cleaning and flossing are enough.

Other preventive measures, such as limiting the use of tobacco, not smoking excessively, or not consuming sugary foods in excess, are applicable just as they apply to keep the health of your natural teeth intact. If needed, your dentist might recommend that you do not chew excessively on extremely hard foods.

For keeping dental implants in the best of conditions, you will need to visit your dentist regularly. Your dentist will recommend the best schedule as per your specific requirements. Preventive treatments such as regular cleanups by your dentist can prolong the life of your dental implants. Regular examinations during these visits can help your dentist identify any potential problem in time and treat it without delay.

If you experience any pain in your implants, you need to inform your dentist and schedule an appointment immediately. Infections and gum diseases can cause the pain, requiring swift treatment from your dentist.