What exactly is a Dental Implant?

Answer...

What exactly is a Dental Implant?

A dental implant is a surgical part that connects with the bone of the jaw or skull to support a dental prosthesis like, crown, bridge and/or a denture. The material used in implants is Titanium which is the only metal biocompatible with our body. The implant once inserted undergoes a process known as osseointegration i.e. the implant fuses with the bone. A variable amount of time is required for the osseointegration to heal before a dental prosthesis can be added. A typical conventional implant consists of a titanium screw (resembling a tooth root) with a roughened or smooth surface. The majority of dental implants are made of commercially pure titanium.

Planning for dental implants focuses on the general health condition of the patient, the local health condition of the mucous membranes and the jaws and the shape, size, and position of the bones of the jaws, adjacent and opposing teeth. There are few health conditions that absolutely preclude placing implants although there are certain conditions that can increase the risk of failure.

The long-term success of implants is determined, in part, by the forces they have to support. As implants have no periodontal ligament, there is no sensation of pressure when biting so the forces created are higher. To offset this, the location of implants must distribute forces evenly across the prosthetics they support. The fusing of implant and bone can support physical loads for decades without failure.

Is dental implant dangerous?

Answer...

Depends on who does the work, whether it's a person who knows what that are doing or a person from India or Yemen who has tons of degrees at the end of his name and knows only how to talk.
The reason why I say this is because of the amount of awesome great implant works I have seen, and also the amount of failing dental implants I have seen. Trust me, I have seen many.

In general to answer your question dental implants are NOT dangerous. If a person has missing teeth one of the ways for replacing the teeth permanently is through dental implant. To get a dental implant one has to qualify as an implant patient first. Diabetes has to be under control, the person has to maintain excellent oral hygiene, no significant bone loss, no smoking, etc. If all the factors are taken into consideration and the person who is doing the dental implant has proper education and training then God-willing, the implant will be successful.

Implants are preferred over dental bridges and removable dentures. For dental bridges you have to work in the tooth at the front and the back of the missing tooth. Not recommended because you will damage 2 healthy tooth just indeed to save 1 missing tooth, but still an option. For removable dentures many folks don't like the concept of putting on teeth and then taking them out again. They want something fixed and permanent, dental implants are preferred. This is the reason why dental implants are getting more and more popular nowadays.