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Dental implants are quietly replacing dentures and bridges. This dental breakthrough simulates real tooth structure while eliminating the discomfort of having dentures. It could be your best option to replace missing teeth. Dental implants are made of titanium shaped like a short rod, resembling a tooth’s root. The titanium roots are surgically implanted in the gum where missing tooth used to be. The surgery is usually guided by a CT scan to ensure precision. After it’s implanted, the dentist waits for two to three months for osseointegration to occur. Osseointegration is when the bone, or the jawbone in this case, fuses with the implant without hitting soft tissue. It’s as if the implant has become part of the bone. When osseointegration is successful, the doctor then attaches the crown or the replacement tooth or teeth. In cases of low bone density, bacterial infection or poor oral hygiene, osseointegration does not occur and the implant becomes loose or falls out altogether. When this happens, the dentist may recommend a separate surgery for bone grafting. But in successful cases, the abutment and crown are attached. The abutment can be made of titanium as well, sometimes of gold or porcelain. This, screwed onto the implant, holds the crown, or acts as the crown’s base. The crown, on the other hand, is made of either porcelain, metal or a fusion of the two. This is the part that looks like and functions as the tooth. In many reputable practices, like Las Vegas implant dentistry, crowns are color-matched to the patient’s real teeth for the most natural appearance. Implants are steadily gaining a following because they do not only function like real teeth but they are also virtually indistinguishable from real teeth. But this technology does not come cheap. In Las Vegas implant dentistry, a tooth would cost anywhere around $1000-$2500, depending on the complexity of the case. Depending on your dentist’s recommendation, your preference and financial capacity, implants can replace one missing tooth or a whole set of teeth. In Las Vegas implant dentistry, it is also used sometimes to secure bridges and partial dentures.
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