Dental implant?

Do I need a dental implant?
Can I have one?
Does it hurt?
How safe is it to have one?

Those are some of many questions that you can have if your are planning on getting a dental implant, we are gonna try to answer them. But first, what is a dental implant?

According to the Mayo Clinic, a dental implant replaces tooth roots with metal, screwlike posts and replaces damaged or missing teeth with artificial teeth that look and function much like real ones. 
Dental implants are necessary when you have missing teeth, but either cannot or do not want to get dentures, bridges or crowns. It is important to replace a lost tooth, as the consequences of removing/losing a tooth and doing nothing can grow into a much larger problem as time goes on.
Dental implants support a healthy bite, keeping each tooth properly in place while supporting a healthy jawbone and preventing bone deterioration. When a tooth is lost or pulled and not replaced, the jawbone can begin to deteriorate. This happens because what preserves the jawbone in the first place is the pressure and stimulus of chewing.

Benefits
Patients can eat, speak, and laugh with total confidence that their artificial teeth will not slip out of place. Dental implants are also incredibly durable, usually offering a lifetime of support with proper care. Most notably, dental implants offer a unique advantage over other types of restorations.
Because they serve as a tooth root, dental implants prevent bone loss in the surrounding jaw, which occurs when a tooth and its root have been missing for an extended period of time.

• Preventing bone loss
• Restoring of bite force
• Match your natural teeth
• Easier to take care of it, comparing to other kind of dentures
• It's a long term solution to tooth loss

Like any surgery, dental implant surgery poses some health risks. Problems are rare, though, and when they do occur they're usually minor and easily treated. Risks include:

• Infection at the implant site
• Injury or damage to surrounding structures, such as other teeth or blood vessels
• Nerve damage, which can cause pain, numbness or tingling in your natural teeth, gums, lips or chin
• Sinus problems, when dental implants placed in the upper jaw protrude into one of your sinus cavities
  

If you are thinking about having one, please feel free to contact us, we will be happy to answer all your questions. In De Sol Dental Care we take care of our patients and always work on performing our best in each and every procedure.