If you are a patient, you may have wondered about how closely a dental implant resembles your natural tooth. While the advantages of dental implants are numerous, one of its primary advantages is, that it closely resembles your natural tooth. In fact, its success can be attributed to its similarity with natural teeth. It also ranks highly when it comes to patient satisfaction, longevity, and clinical success.
Natural teeth play a major role, not only in enhancing your smile but also when it comes to chewing food. In this article, we’ll talk about how and why dental implants mimic your natural tooth structure.
A natural tooth is designed to be independent of other teeth. It is only supported by a link between the tooth root and the jaw bone and is extremely strong. As a result of this strength, natural teeth are extremely effective at chewing and biting.
As far as appearance goes, a natural tooth consists of a tooth root and a crown. The root portion is anchored in the jawbone and the crown is the part that is visible above the gum line. A dental implant mimics the structure and function of a natural tooth, and so, provides not just proper function, but also aesthetic appeal.
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots that are made of titanium, which bonds with the jawbone. This happens over several months after an oral surgeon inserts this titanium root into the jawbone. This fusing process is called osseointegration and is the main reason why a dental implant mimics a natural tooth.
The ability of a dental implant to mimic a natural tooth, provides the patient with several advantages. The root-like structure preserves the quality of the jawbone over time, preventing further tooth loss. With other teeth replacement procedures, such as dentures, jawbone atrophy results, needing appliances to be refitted or periodically replaced.
Dental implants that mimic natural teeth also result in the patient being able to eat normally after the procedure. The implant can withstand greater chewing forces, so that the patient can eat all of their favorite hard and crunchy foods.
Dental implants also provide stability to the patient, by lasting for several years, even a lifetime. Patients typically do not have to replace dental implants if the latter are properly taken care of. When it comes to the care of dental implants, again you can treat them as normal teeth. You should regularly brush and floss, just as you would natural teeth. You can also visit your dentist every six months for a check-up and regular deep cleaning. With dental implants standing alone, there is no appliance that restricts access to the gum line.
Just as dental implants are closer to natural teeth structurally, they are also closer when it comes to aesthetic appeal. Dental implants can restore your smile permanently and look very good as compared to other teeth replacement procedures.
Also, by replacing the entire tooth, dental implants offer patients better oral structure and function than other teeth replacement procedures. If you want a tooth replacement method that is long-lasting and as close to your natural teeth as possible, opt for dental implants.
At the Harbour Pointe Oral Surgery & Advanced Dental Implant Center, we specialize in inserting dental implants for single missing tooth, or for multiple missing teeth. We work with the patient’s unique medical and dental history and ensure that the entire dental implant procedure is as comfortable as possible.
So, if you are planning on going in for dental implant surgery, consider Harbour Pointe for expert and effective advice and oral surgery.
For more information about dental implants, consult Dr. Brian Hart and Dr. Kathleen Isdith at 425-353-1009 or at hporalsurgery@gmail.com or go to our website www.harbourpointeoralsurgery.net for more information.