Ask the Dental Experts
Our philosophy is to help our patients achieve and maintain exceptional dental health. We work hard to make sure that our level of care is deserving of our patients’ respect and confidence. Our tradition of preventive dentistry is the basis for all service and care in our practice. We welcome all questions and comments regarding dentistry in the hope that we increase your dental "IQ" and help you make better dental health decisions.Monday, August 01, 2005
Implants: What are they?
Why don’t the posts that you use in implants hurt when you put them in your gums? What are the posts (or whatever you call them) made of?
Dental implants are permanent fixtures of titanium posts anchored to the jawbone and topped with either individual replacement teeth or a bridge that screws or cements onto the posts. These posts act like tooth roots. Once the titanium implant has been placed into the bone, the bone adapts into the shape of the implant. During the healing period in which the implant has no load placed upon it, (usually 3-6 months), the bone attaches to the implant in the same way that it attaches to natural teeth. Once this attachment has occurred, the strength is remarkable. Chewing pressure on the prosthetic post (or on the final restoration placed on an implant) feels like pushing on a natural tooth. Implant technology and materials used today in the United States were developed more than 30 years ago. The success rate for implants is remarkable: 98 % for lower implants and 91 % for upper implants. Implant technology truly allows us to restore strength and support for a patient who has lost teeth.
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